Fate of All Fools
by donutkirby
Summary: Jaune Arc was a complete nobody until he stumbled upon the secret of a lifetime-the Holy Grail War, the ultimate battle for the ultimate prize. Now, determined to prove himself, he must fight off six other participants and their allies in order to survive, win, and hopefully get along with his snobby Servant in the process! (Mild Jaune x Weiss...maybe)
1. Chapter 1: Saber

**No update for Stark today. I wanted to try something new.**

 **I've never done a crossover before, so I figured I'd mix together two of my favourite franchises, RWBY and Fate.**

 **I'll probably work on the first five chapters and then go back to Stark for a while.**

 **Also, fair warning: There's a lot more RWBY than Fate; the concept of the Holy Grail War and the Servants are pretty much the only thing from that franchise in here. The rest is either RWBY or my own ideas.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Fate of All Fools**

 **Chapter 1: Saber**

The world had ended.

There was no other way to describe the horrific scene that lay ahead. The piercing howls of a never-ending winter roared through the endless sky, covered in thick, heavy clouds that banished the sun forever. A thunderous blizzard covered all in its cold embrace. Mountains and great cities lay in ruin, their former majesty desecrated by the weathering and torment of eons. Towers of lifeless, broken bodies lay all around, as far as the eye could see, salting the earth with cold, scarlet blood. There was no screaming, no crying, and no mourning. Those things had died with civilization.

Amidst the despair stood a lone knight. The perilous cold of the blizzard seeped through his armour and bit into his flesh. His body was wracked with the scars and wounds of a thousand wars. However, he felt no pain. What did torment him was the thing he held in his hand.

Raising it, he glanced at the great sword, shining with a rare brilliance that illuminated the darkened skies. Its name resonated within the depths of his mind.

 _Myrtenaster._

The sword felt so… _wrong_ in his hands. _This is not mine,_ he thought, despairing. _It should belong to someone else. It belongs to_ her _._

He turned his gaze to the robed figure who knelt in front of him. His enemy. The one who'd caused him so much suffering. But he had chased him all across this accursed world, and bested him…and now his foe knelt there, at his mercy. Alone. Battered. Defeated.

A dark veil prevented him from seeing their expression, but it was clear they were shaking in terror. Indeed, like any other man, he felt the overwhelming fear that came before death. Calmly and methodically, the knight raised the cursed blade, and prepared to perform the fatal swing.

The knight did not pity his enemy. Rather, he felt only envy.

The enemy's suffering was at its end. But his would continue into eternity. Even now, the whispers of his fallen comrades rode on the wind to his ears.

 _This will be enough,_ he thought to himself. _It will have to be enough._

Taking a deep breath, he swung the sword…

* * *

"Jaune Arc!" The voice snapped him back to reality.

"Hrm? Wuzzat?" Jaune muttered sleepily, rubbing his eyes. Glancing around, he saw his classmates all staring at him with a mixture of irritation and amusement. It seemed he'd fallen asleep in class.

The bleak scenery he'd just witnessed still remained fresh in his mind. The cold, the despair, he could still feel all of it. _That same dream again, huh…?_

"Jaune!" Professor Goodwitch repeated herself with a scowl on her face. "Pay attention in class or you will be sent to detention!"

Jaune sighed. "Y-yes, professor…" he muttered meekly.

The rest of the class passed in a blur. None of Professor Goodwitch's lectures registered in his brain. All he could think about was that dream. _That was the fifth time, I think._ He'd had the exact same dream over and over for the past week.

In his position, anyone else would think they were crazy. But Jaune knew he wasn't crazy. In fact, he was the exact opposite.

"Class dismissed!" Goodwitch called out as the bell rang. "Please remember to actually do your homework this time, students!"

 _Finally._ Jaune got up, strapped on his backpack, and walked into the hallway. His heart was filled with excitement as he thought of what was waiting for him at home.

"Hey, Jonny-boy, ya snored off in class again?" Cardin, the pug-faced school bully, sneered at him. "Be careful, someone might knock your ass out while you aren't looking!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm really terrified of you," Jaune sighed, waving his hand. He really was not in the mood to deal with the bully today. "I think I might catch your head lice if I get too close to you."

Sneering, Cardin retaliated in the only way a thick-headed brute like him could: shoving Jaune into the wall, sending his books scattering across the floor. A couple of students laughed at the spectacle; the humiliation of Beacon Academy's worst student was the one thing that could unite the whole school.

His face burning in embarrassment, Jaune hastily picked up his belongings and ran out of the building as fast as he could.

 _They all think they're so tough._ Jaune gritted his teeth. _We'll see who's pushing who around soon._

Hailing a bus, he soon found himself standing outside the shabby two-story apartment that he called home. Before he could enter, a loud crash came from the second floor, and a wave of smoke flowed out of the window.

A young girl ran out of the building, covered head to toe in ash. "Oooooh my god, oooooh my god…" she muttered, dusting herself off in a comical manner. "Was the engine supposed to explode like that?"

"Hey, Ruby," Jaune greeted his next-door neighbour. "How's your project going?"

"Oh, y'know, uh…working on it," Ruby Rose laughed awkwardly, before bursting into a brief coughing fit. "Um, I mean, this is only the third time I've almost died, so, uh, I think I'm making some progress."

"Well, you didn't burn the place down this time," Jaune agreed. "Hope you manage to complete it next time."

He meant it. Fifteen-year old Ruby's eccentricity would irritate most people, but it was very refreshing to Jaune. He hadn't really had many friends before she'd moved into the room next to him. She was somewhat of a machinery fanatic, and was obsessed with making her own machine. Specifically, she wanted to design some sort of high-tech weapon. "If it's not badass, it's not worth designing!" was pretty much her motto. It was a nice idea, but the threat of the building exploding from her experiments somewhat diminished it.

Ruby claimed her dream was to get accepted into the Beacon Academy of Engineering. It was what had started her friendship with Jaune, who went to the same school.

"So Jaune, wanna go for some ice cream?" Ruby suggested. "I can clean up my room after."

Jaune smiled. "Oh. Sorry, but I'm busy right now. Umm…homework."

"Awww, bummer." Ruby sighed, her shoulders sagging. "Well, see you later." She mounted on her bike and went off down the streets. Once she was out of his sights, Jaune quickly entered the apartment and made his way to his room, trying not to breathe in any smoke.

He looked around his place. It wasn't much-just a small kitchen, a bed, and a writing desk. A picture of his parents lay on it. Jaune picked it up, recalling what they'd said before they'd shipped him halfway across the continent of Remnant.

 _This is for your own good, son. Those secrets aren't for you to know._

Secrets…things they'd tried to keep from him. To make sure their youngest son was safe from what had tormented the Arc family-and many others-for generations.

But Jaune had wanted to know. And so, he'd taken matters into his own hands. He'd visited every museum, every library in the Kingdom of Atlas, looking for answers. He'd forged a transcript to get into Beacon, the most esteemed school in Remnant, all the way over in Vale, just so he could find what he'd been searching for. And he'd found it.

He'd found…the Holy Grail War.

This was his chance to compete in the ultimate battle for glory-and if he won, he could have everything he'd ever wanted. He'd be rich and famous, and he might finally be able to look his crush in the eye...

Taking a deep breath, Jaune picked up a small vial from his desk. It was filled with "Dust", a mysterious substance that few knew existed. But in the right hands, it was capable of earth-shattering feats. He poured some water into the vial, turning the stuff into a viscous red liquid.

 _It's now or never, Jaune Arc. Time to face your destiny._

Closing his eyes, Jaune reached into the vial, soaking his finger in Dust. He smeared the substance across the floor, trying desperately to remember what that ancient text in the Beacon library had shown him. The right pattern.

"Okay, that should be enough," he muttered. He stretched out his hand, trying to focus all his energy into what came next.

"I call upon the thrones of the otherworldly," he chanted. "To serve my cause, to fulfill my ambition, to acquiesce my every command, I ask of thee, my Servant, to fight by my side in the looming battle.

"To obtain the Holy Grail is to obtain the world. And only the champion and their disciple shall drink of its holy sustenance, and ascend to the higher realms. To this goal, I devote my body, my soul, my mind."

It was going well so far, but Jaune still concentrated. None of this would mean anything if he messed up at the last part.

"Saber. Archer. Lancer. Caster. Rider. Berserker. Assassin. The fates of men lie in thy capable hands. Now, arise, and Serve!"

The moment Jaune said the final word, his room was enveloped in a burst of bright light, knocking him straight into the wall for the second time that day. "Ugh!" he grunted.

Trying to get up, Jaune realized he was shivering. It was cold. _That's weird,_ he thought. _It's the middle of June. Did I leave the AC on?_

Opening his eyes, Jaune realized he had not left the AC on. Rather, his entire room had been blanketed in snow. A thick, cold mist enveloped the centre, where he'd made his symbol of Dust.

"What the hell?" he muttered. The snow made him shudder, and not just from the cold. It reminded him of his dream. That eternal blizzard, burying the corpses of man….

 _I don't think that was supposed to happen._ Jaune hung his head. "So much for that idea," he sighed. "All those years of planning and all I get is some stupid snow?"

"Well, that's certainly rude to say," came an unfamiliar voice. "Huh?" Jaune looked up in confusion.

The mist slowly cleared away. On top of the sigil stood a beautiful girl, clothed in an elegant dress, with her white hair tied up in a side ponytail. A single scar over her left eye was the sole blemish on her perfect features. In her hand was clasped a silver rapier. The one from Jaune's dream.

"Uh, uh…" Jaune stammered.

"Can you even talk properly?" the girl frowned at him. "Come on, say something articulate, scraggy."

 _Scraggy?!_ Jaune scowled at the mystery girl. "Okay, fine! My name's Jaune-Jaune Arc! Who are _you,_ and how the hell did you get in my room?!"

The girl raised her eyebrows. "Are you serious?" she muttered. "You're the one who summons me to this dumpster, and you ask me why I'm here?"

"I…summon…huh? You're-" Jaune stopped midsentence. "No way…you're a Servant?"

The girl sighed. "And at last, realization dawns. Well, even if you're a bit slow, I guess there are worse people I could've ended up with."

She gave a courteous bow. "Call me Saber. As of this moment, you, Jaune Arc, are my Master."


	2. Chapter 2: Rider

**Chapter 2: Rider**

Destiny waits for no man.

All the mistakes people make, the sins they've committed…they remain forever in the fabrics of reality, and none can escape them. And when the consequences of their actions come to avenge themselves upon them, they fall into the raging waters, lost and helpless.

Indeed, mankind is little more than a plaything to a higher force, and those who rebel are doomed to collapse. In the end, all they can do is move forward unto tomorrow…to wait as the gears of fate once again begin their inexorable churn.

That time was now.

The old man gazed into the pool of stars. Who he was and where he stood are irrelevant. He saw, in the centre of the water, a single star that glowed brighter than any other. _So it begins anew…the first piece has entered the game._

He looked up at the stars that reflected themselves in the surface of the water. He closed his eyes with a weary smile. _Now then, let us see…what awaits those who bear the weight of the worlds on their shoulders?_

* * *

"Humph, humph…" Ruby grunted, staggering under the weight of her purchases.

When Ruby Rose went outside, it was simply impossible for her to stop at just getting ice cream. Before she knew what had happened, she'd already bought five conductors, another combustion engine to replace the one that had just exploded, and a bunch of other electrical paraphernalia that she didn't even know what they were for. At least it was good exercise.

After what felt like a billion years, she finally dragged herself and her bike back to her apartment. Leaving her bike in the parking lot, she finally ran the final stretch to her room, gasping in relief as she dumped all of her possessions onto the floor with a loud _thud_. "Hah, hahhh."

Jaune peeked out from inside his room. "Hey, Ruby, you okay?"

"Ahaha, I'm…fine," she laughed, panting. She shivered a bit. "Did you leave the AC on, Jaune? There's a lot of cold air coming from your room."  
"O-oh, uh, that's, um…" Jaune stammered a bit, looking nervous. "Yeah, it's just the AC. So, uh, you're gonna keep building your death machine?"

"Sure am!" Ruby nodded energetically. "See ya, Jaune! Good luck with your homework!" Skipping happily, she shut the door.

Ruby's room would have given most neat-freak parents a heart attack. The wall was messily decorated with random schematics of various machinery. Things like lawnmowers, vacuum cleaners and TVs were strewn across the floor, some of them she probably shouldn't have been able to afford. In addition to being an engineering fanatic, Ruby was also a bit of a kleptomaniac.

In the corner of the room, amongst all the impressive technology, was an ugly lump of metal and wires. This was Ruby's favourite thing in the room. She happily went over to it. Thankfully, most of the smoke and stench from before had disappeared. "You alright?" she asked gently, stroking it. "Uh, sorry I blew you up again. But! I think…I'll get you right this time."

Out of all the things little Ruby wanted to build with her limited knowledge of engineering, her biggest priority was a badass electric-powered battle scythe, so one day she could fight criminals and be a hero, "like the chick from _Soul Eater_."

"Let's see, it needs a conductor…here," she muttered, plugging the device into the machine. A few sparks shot out where it made contact, but thankfully no explosions this time. "Now I need a thruster."

She dismantled the combustion engine and retrieved the parts she needed. She took a deep breath. _Okay, let's try this again._ She inserted them into the back part of her creation, and flipped the switch. The machine whirred for a few seconds, the gears turning in what resembled a coherent rhythm. It was only alive for a few seconds before it went silent again.

Ruby wasn't disheartened, though. _It's a start,_ she smiled to herself. _If it all goes well, I can get it done before Uncle Qrow comes to visit._ That thought lifted her spirits.

The gruff, sarcastic Qrow Branwen was one of the most well-known engineers in the Kingdom of Atlas. Though they weren't actually related, Ruby had always affectionately called him "Uncle" and had wanted to become an engineer just like him. Her father hadn't really approved of her friendship with him, but considering Qrow was an old friend of Ruby's late mother, he let it slide. Mostly.

Today, a letter had arrived for her, and the sender was none other than Uncle Qrow. Ruby had been pleasantly surprised; Qrow never wrote letters-whenever he wanted to say something to you, he'd always do it face-to-face whether you liked it or not. Now that she was taking a break from her work, she excitedly tore the envelope open. Inside was a note written in very messy handwriting:

 _Hey kiddo. How are you doing?_

 _Looking forward to visiting Vale this summer! Can't wait to see you._

 _Yeah, I know I don't really write to you often. Or ever. But this time…it's something a bit special._

 _Look, I don't want you to think I'm crazy. Actually, you probably already think that. Point is, I'd like to ask a favour of you._

 _Attached to this note is a document. What I'm asking you to do is keep it safe for a week or two-at least until I get here. Do NOT touch it, do NOT read it, and for the love of God, do NOT blow it up in one of your goddamn industrial accidents. Knowing you, you're gonna want to open it right up and see what it's all about. Don't do that. Honestly, you're probably the last person I can trust with this kinda thing, but there's no one else I can ask for help. Just trust me, kiddo. I promise I'll explain everything when I arrive. Seriously, there's a lot to talk about._

 _Cheers,_

 _Uncle Qrow_

Attached to the note was an old, yellowing piece of parchment. Ruby frowned at it. Why would her uncle be so worried about something like this?

True to her uncle's fears, all his warnings promptly flew right over her head as she grabbed the parchment and turned it over. On it was a peculiar-looking symbol, drawn in a strange red liquid that seemed to glow. Beneath it was written what appeared to be some sort of prayer.

 _This is the Holy Scripture That Calls the Servants of Man from the Heavens._

 _If thou wishes to become the champion of the Holy Grail, recite this prayer to the emblem that connects worlds, and seal thy fate._

 _I call upon the thrones of the otherworldly,_

 _To serve my cause, to fulfill my ambition, to acquiesce my every command._

 _I ask of thee, my Servant, to fight by my side in the looming battle._

 _To obtain the Holy Grail is to obtain the world._

 _And only the champion and their disciple shall drink of its holy sustenance,_

 _And ascend to the higher realms._

 _To this goal, I devote my body, my soul, my mind._

 _Saber. Archer. Lancer. Caster. Rider. Berserker. Assassin._

 _The fates of men lie in thy capable hands._

 _Now arise, and Serve._

"What is this…?" Ruby murmured in shock. "Sounds like some sort of…zany religious cult." _Is Uncle Qrow into that kinda thing?_

The prayer sounded pretty ridiculous. "Holy Grail"? "Thrones of the otherworldly?" It sounded like something from a children's book. Still, if there was one thing to be commended about Ruby Rose, it was her curiosity. And her curiosity had been piqued.

 _So all I have to do is recite it, huh? Sounds simple enough._ Slowly and carefully, Ruby read every line of the prayer exactly how it had been written, while staring at the parchment, hoping for something cool to happen. Nothing did, at least until the end.

"The fates of men lie in thy capable hands…" she murmured. "Now arise, and Serve."

She paused for a moment. Nothing was happening. "Yep. As I thought," she sighed. It was what she'd expected, but she was still a bit disappointed. "Kinda wished there'd be mo-"

 _Whoosh!_ Without warning, the parchment burst into flames. "Ahh!" Ruby screamed, falling back onto the floor. The parchment remained levitating in the air, the flames growing into a raging inferno. "Wh-wh-wh…" she stammered.

In a flash, the flames dissipated, leaving a pile of ashes behind. Mercifully, none of Ruby's equipment had been burned up. That wasn't what caught her attention, anyway.

Atop the ashes was perched a yellow, flame-patterned motorcycle. Riding the vehicle was a tall, golden-haired woman wearing shades and a tan vest with gold piping over a yellow top. "Whew, that was a trip," she said cheerfully, taking off her shades. She turned to Ruby, and her eyes widened. "Oh…you're…!"

"Huh?" Ruby stammered, still in shock.

"Ruby!" The girl broke into a huge smile and embraced her tightly, nearly suffocating her. "Oh, it's so good to see you!"

"Umm…" Ruby whimpered. "Who…who are you?"

"What?" The girl frowned, glancing at her. "Don't you recognize me? I'm Yang, your…" Her eyes widened. "Oh, that's right, wrong world, wrong world," she muttered under her breath.

"What's going on here…?" Ruby muttered, terrified, looking around in confusion. "Why did this weird hot girl just appear out of nowhere in a burst of flame? Why does she know my name?"

The blonde laughed slightly. "Okay, I get that you're freaking out, Ruby. Let me explain things properly, alright?" Ruby nodded nervously.

"Basically, I'm a Servant, of the "Rider" class. I'm a warrior from another world, and you've just summoned me. There are six others like me somewhere out there in Remnant, and to summarize, we're all in the middle of some big war to kill each other and get the Holy Grail, some artifact that grants you any wish you want. Sounds pretty cool, huh?"

"Uhhh…." Ruby laughed. "I'm still pretty confused, but, uh, being able to grant any wish sounds nice. I think."

Yang, the Rider-class Servant, smiled at her. "Well, at least I know you're the same as in my world." She looked around the room. "Yeesh, your place sure is a mess, huh? What's that piece of junk next to your desk?"

"Oh, that's my project," Ruby said. "I'm building my own mechanized scythe. It's not going so well, though."

" _That's_ what Crescent Rose looks like in this world?" Rider stared in horror at the mechanical abomination. "Seriously?"

"Uh…Crescent Rose?"

"Long story," Rider muttered. "Anyway, you said you're having trouble building this thing, huh? I think I have something to help with that." Opening her vest, she retrieved a few vials of strange red liquid. "Looks like Dust isn't as common in this world, huh?"

"Dust? Uh, well, actually, it's everywhere, and-" Ruby began.

"No, no, not _that_ Dust." Rider waved her hand dismissively. "This stuff's some magic substance that can do all sorts of crazy things. Building awesome weapons is a piece of cake with this." She paused, seeing Ruby's blank stare. "Hmm, still confused? I guess that's to be expected…looks like I've got a lot of explaining to do, huh?" she smiled at Ruby. "Come on. Let's build you your scythe."

Ruby grinned. "Now we're talking. Okay, Rider, Yang, or whoever you are, let's get to work!"

And they did.


	3. Chapter 3: Lancer and Berserker

**Chapter 3: Lancer and Berserker**

Night had fallen.

At last, the promised hour had come. It was the time for hordes of lowlife teenagers with nothing better to do in life to gather, like moths to a flame, to the local nightclub. Dancing, bright lights, girls and good food-everything they could possibly want was there.

In the middle of the crowd of dancers, a young man with messy light blond hair, a monkey's tail, and an inexplicable fear of wearing a shirt made his way through the chaos, winking and waving at familiar faces. He walked over to the corner of the club, where a boy with blue hair and nerdy-looking goggles stood awkwardly, sticking out like a sore thumb.

"Man, looking good, Sun," the nerd grinned at him. "And I thought I was popular with the ladies."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, nerd." Sun Wukong smirked, tossing him a hot dog.

"Hey, hey, it's 'intellectual!' We went over this, dude!" The intellectual corrected him obnoxiously.

Ignoring him, Sun popped his burger into his mouth. "So," he mumbled with his mouth full. "How about you come clean about who you are, huh?"

"Heeey, c'mon, man. No need to sound hostile! Okay, I'm Lancer, alright?" Lancer threw his hands up and grinned awkwardly, trying (and failing) to look charming. "Well, actually, that's kinda my code name, y'know? My real name's Neptune. Neptune Vasilias, and I come from an another dimension, where Remnant looks, like, WAY different, and there are these things called Grimm, and-"

Sun scowled suspiciously at Lancer, wondering if he was being made fun of. "O-o-okay, dude. First of all, you lost me at "another dimension", and you still haven't explained how you appeared the hell outta nowhere and ruined my date."

"What, shouldn't you at least know that? You summoned me here, didn't you?" Lancer asked.

"I thought that stupid book was a hoax! Me and that fine lady, we just decided to read out that crazy voodoo chant-thing for some laughs, and next thing I know, half my damn room's underwater, there's a nerd with horrible fashion sense sitting on my bed, and I'll probably never see that girl again because she thinks I'm an evil wizard or some shit!"

Lancer sighed, twirling the tip of his sea-blue hair. "Okay, I guess I can see why you're pissed. Losing a babe like that's a bad day in my book, too." He grinned at Sun. "You know, the Remnant I come from, we're like best friends! You're a Faunus there, too."

"That's good to hear," Sun smiled. The human-monkey hybrid swung around his long tail playfully. "Even other worlds can't take away this beautiful thing, baby."

He looked back at Lancer, whose gaze had wandered over to a small gathering of rabbit Faunus girls dancing to the side of the club. "So, you said you're…a Servant, right?"

"Damn right I am! A bona-fide Servant of the Holy Grail!" Grinning from ear-to-ear, Lancer pulled out a fancy looking rifle from his back. With a quick shake, it extended into a large trident, emanating sparks of bright blue-energy. "Won't find a better fighter than me anywhere in this world!"

A flurry of gasps rang out from several observers. "Hey, hey, whoa!" Sun waved frantically at his Servant. "Put that thing away, man! Don't draw attention to yourself like that!"

"Okay, okay, geez!" Lancer quickly retracted his weapon and put it away. The club-goers stared at him for a few moments, but thanks to the mercy of teenage short attention spans, they soon went back to minding their own business.

"That was close," Sun sighed.

Lancer scowled, looking around in embarrassment. "Hey, if you didn't want to attract attention, there are better places to hide out than a nightclub."

'Uh-uh, amateur," Sun wagged his finger condescendingly. "Classic tactic. No one will notice you in a crowd…UNLESS you've got a crazy alien weapon-thing and you're, well, dumb."

"Alright, fine, I'll let that one slide, pal." Lancer put his hands up in surrender.

"Also…" Sun held out his hand. On the back was a red sigil, drawn in the shape of an eclipsed moon. "Mind explaining what this tattoo thing is?"

Lancer shrugged. "What, your Command Seals? That just shows you're my Master. All the others should have them appear on their body soon after they summon their Servant. You can use them to make me do stuff. Servants can't refuse an order given by a Command Seal."

"Seriously? Now that's friggin' cool." Sun glanced at his Seals approvingly. "So that means I can command you to do all my chores and buy me burgers whenever I feel like it, huh? Sweet!" He raised his arm.

"H-hey, whoa, not so fast!" Lancer panicked. "The Commands only work like, three times, so you're not supposed to waste them, y'know? Use them, like, when you need to get out of a tough fight or something."

"Ugh. There always has to be some dumb condition to this sorta thing," Sun sighed. He shot a more serious glance at his Servant. "So, about this Holy Grail War-"

Suddenly, sirens broke out into the night. Several people screamed. Outside the nightclub, a veritable convoy of police cars rushed past down the streets. It was practically a small army, and the shouts of the officers and cops could even be heard over the alarms.

"Whoa," Lancer muttered. "Wonder who they're after. Must be something huge."

"Hopefully, it's not us," Sun said jokingly. "So, then, Neptune Vasili-whatever, you said you know about some ancient artifact that's here in Vale, right? This thing that can grant any wish?"

"That's right, the Holy Grail. We're gonna have to fight quite a few people if we want it, though. Could be dangerous. Could, uh, get us both killed. Messily."

Sun smiled. "Tell me more."

* * *

"Huff, huff…" The unfortunate thief panted as he ran through the park, avoiding his pursuers.

"Roman Torchwick! Surrender now!" The police officer's voice rang through the megaphone. "You are under arrest for larceny!"

 _Well, well, at least they know who I am. I'm touched,_ Roman thought sarcastically as he continued to run, clutching the sack in his hands. The source of all his misfortune.

It was just his luck. He decided to rob ONE house tonight, and it turned out to have some secret high-alert mumbo jumbo that belonged to the visiting general of the whole damn military, the entirety of which he was fairly certain was on his heels right now.

"Afraid I'm going to have to decline your invitation!" he sneered, tossing a smoke bomb back in their direction. Hearing the explosion and the subsequent screams of confusion and anger, he quickly took advantage of the diversion and escaped. Or at least, tried to.

"That is quite enough, criminal." That stern, stereotypically-military voice resonated from a sturdily-built middle aged man descending via a police chopper, blocking Roman's escape route. "Hand over what you stole from me and I, General Ironwood of the Atlesian military, promise you will have a lowered sentence."

 _Oh, fuck me._ "How generous," he smiled through gritted teeth. "But if there's one thing I've learned from my time in the underworld, it's that the more people try to protect something, the more valuable it is. So sorry, I'm holding on to this." Stealthily, he reached for his pistol in his pocket.

"I see. Then I am sorry too," General Ironwood said grimly. He nodded to his pilot. "Take him out."

"Yes, sir." The chopper rose into the air, and turned its mounted machine guns straight at Roman. "Fire!" _Wait, what?!_ Roman thought.

A shower of bullets pierced the night as Roman ran for his life, panicking as he clutched that miserable sack ever more tightly. _This thing better be worth millions of bucks if they're willing to shoot me over it,_ he thought furiously, throwing down another smoke bomb as gunfire barely missed his head. Once he was sure he'd put enough distance between himself and his pursuers, he quickly hid behind a nearby tree and opened his sack. "Okay, you little shit," he muttered, opening the sack. "Let's see exactly how much you're worth." He reached in and pulled out…a book.

 _A book?_ Incredulous, Roman looked inside. The sack was filled with nothing but old-looking, yellow-paged books, most of which were already falling apart, their pages scattered and torn up. There was no gold, no diamond necklace, not even any top-secret military plans for a weapon of mass destruction.

 _That's it?!_ Roman was flabbergasted. The military and the police were trying to murder him over a bunch of stupid books? Was this his punishment for flunking out of literature in middle school?

He flipped through some of the books, and noticed that they were all about the same thing: something about a 'Holy Grail' and 'Servants'.

 _The Holy Grail: the shining miracle of civilizations, hidden from the world._

 _When in the hands of those less worthy, the Holy Grail shall bring ruin and oblivion to the House of Man._

 _The Servants, warriors of the other worlds, shall open the gates to the Grail._

 _If thou wishes to become the champion of the Grail, recite this prayer to the emblem that connects worlds…_

"What the hell is this crap?" Roman muttered, holding the last book in his hands. It was clearly older than any of the other tomes in the sack, yet it seemed virtually unscathed. Beneath the text on the last page was some sort of cult-like sigil, accompanied with what appeared to be some kind of prayer. _A Holy Grail? Ancient warriors called Servants? Why would a general have something like this…?_

"I see him, he's over there near the forest!"

Roman swore. _Tch. Whatever. I might still be able to do something with these piles of junk._ He grabbed the sack and kept running. He ran until he felt his lungs would give out, but it wasn't long before he hit a dead end. An enormous barbed-wire fence blocked his escape, and the police cars quickly surrounded him from all other directions. _Oh, shit…_

"You have nowhere to go!" An officer announced, stating the blatantly obvious. "Surrender now, and you'll get a quick death!"

Well, it looked like this was it for him. He'd had a good run, and hopefully he'd made enough cash to keep his crime buddies back in Vacuo going. He supposed there were worse ways to go. Unless…

As if in a trance, Roman opened to ancient tome and turned it, once more, to the last page. Under any other circumstances, he wouldn't even have bothered with magical hocus-pocus like this, but desperation often drives man to do things he never thought he would. He closed his eyes. _Hey, uh, God? If you exist, I guess I'm sorry for being a miserable excuse of a human being, but I could really use a bit of divine intervention right now. Just once, okay? In the name of the father, the son, Amen, and all that._ He quietly muttered the inscribed prayer.

"What's he doing?" The officer muttered. "Stop him!" Ironwood yelled, his chopper descending to join the rest of the police. "Fire, NOW!"

"Yes, sir!" The cops are aimed their guns at Roman and fired.

Suddenly, the area around Roman was enveloped in a bright light, disintegrating all the bullets at once. "What in the…" he gasped, dropping the tome in shock. It seemed he was still alive, but he couldn't believe what had just happened.

When the light faded, a young girl stood where the book had been a moment ago. She was unusually short, probably at least a head shorter than him. She had light brown hair with pink accents, and wore a classy white vest that looked very similar to his. She held a frilly umbrella in her right hand. _Who is that…?_

Several cops yelled in shock. "Wh-where did that girl come from?"

"The Berserker-class Servant…!" the general shouted. "Damn it! Subdue them both!"

The girl turned to Roman and smiled. Roman noted that she had heterochromia-she had one brown eye and one eye that was pink. She winked at him, and promptly charged at the cops with inhuman speed, holding her umbrella out in front of her. They opened fire, but they simply bounced off of the umbrella's surface.

Breaking out into a sadistic grin, the girl slaughtered all the cops effortlessly. She snapped one poor man's neck with a kick, while simultaneously skewering another on her umbrella. Even at point-blank range, she dodged all their bullets like it was nothing. Casually avoiding an officer's gunfire, she swiftly snatched his rifle from his hands and gunned down his entire squad within seconds. In less than a minute, all her enemies had been completely obliterated.

"G-geez…" Putting aside for a moment the question of where the hell this girl had come from, Roman had to admire how great of a fighter she was, especially with an umbrella of all things.

Suddenly, he heard a sound from above. Looking above, he saw General Ironwood escaping in his chopper. In his hands, he held a rocket launcher.

The girl had noticed it too, and quickly jumped back to defend Roman, holding out her umbrella defensively. Ironwood fired the destructive projectile. _Is that thing seriously going to block a rocket?_ Roman thought.

The rocket struck the umbrella with a deafening explosion, but sure enough, Roman and the girl were unharmed. When the smoke cleared, Ironwood and his chopper had already flown out of sight.

Roman collapsed to the ground, his exhaustion finally overtaking him. "Well then," he gasped, "I've been through some ridiculous things before, but tonight might be a new low for me." He frowned at the mystery girl. "Alright, miss, who the hell are you?"

The girl simply cocked her head to the side in confusion. She did not say a word. _Is she mute?_

Roman changed the topic slightly. "Now as for your name, that unsavoury general called you Berserker, right? Not the best name for an adorable girl like you, in my opinion."

Berserker smiled at the compliment. She looked lost in thought for a moment, then clasped her hands together, eyes lighting up. She pulled a small marker out of her pocket and ran over to Roman, grabbing his left hand. In childish scribbles, she wrote a single word:

NEO

"Neo, eh?" Roman muttered. "Like the ice cream? Well the name certainly suits you, at least. Neo it is, then."

Berserker-or Neo, as Roman was to call her from that moment onward-smiled again, and jumped up and down happily. It was certainly difficult to believe this was the same girl who'd slaughtered all those cops a minute ago. Speaking of which, Roman decided it was best to clear out before anyone stumbled upon the bodies.

"Alright, Neo, we should go now," Roman said, trying to sound like a gentleman. He didn't have much experience with it. "I've got a hideout in the city we can-"

Berserker shook her head, and pointed to a building in the distance. It was a Pizza Pizza _._ "Oh come now," Roman grumbled. "I'm not your daddy, you know…"

"…" The girl just gazed at him sadly with those heterochromatic puppy-dog eyes.

Roman surrendered. "Alright, then, but just once," he sighed. Reaching into his pocket to make sure he had some loose change with him, he smiled slightly at his new acquaintance. "Why don't we discuss more about you over some pizza? I have a feeling we've got quite a bit to talk about."


	4. Chapter 4: Caster and Assassin

**Chapter 4: Caster and Assassin**

This world of Remnant, as are so many others, is home to a peculiar race known as the Faunus-humans with animalistic traits. Some may have the ears of a rabbit, some may possess a monkey's tail, and others still may have the horns of a bull.

Some, like our previously established Sun Wukong, display their Faunus marks proudly, and live as freely and fully as anyone else. Many, however, are less fortunate.

 _What a bunch of freaks._

 _Why do we have to live among these degenerates?_

 _Why shouldn't we treat animals like animals?_

Remarks like these are commonly heard by most Faunus. Cast down by society as less than human, they languish underneath the foot of their oppressors, or turn to desperate, violent acts of rebellion against their plights, as individuals often do.

For if one thing is constant among all known worlds, it is for people's moralities and values to change with their situation. Is it the mark of a cowardly, hypocritical species, or is it what one would call adaptability?

* * *

Blake snuck a glance from behind cover. _Four guards, each carrying AK-47 models,_ she noted. _This could be a problem._

A Faunus of the feline sub-species, Blake had enhanced hearing and nigh vision that made raids like this far easier for her than for a normal human. Using her cat ears, she tried to listen for any enemies approaching her location. Thankfully, no one was nearby. Behind cover, she loaded her dart guns. _Okay. Let's do this._

Her enemies were also Faunus, and so she had to be extra stealthy when sneaking around. It was alright though; Blake was used to staying out of sight. It was practically a mandatory skill for a Faunus living in one of the less accepting parts of the city. She quickly snuck behind a female Faunus wandering around alone, and knocked her out with a swift punch. She lowered the guard's unconscious body to the ground silently. _Three to go._

Not wasting a second, she flung an incapacitating grenade in the southern direction of the camp. The explosive detonated, sending two of the guards over to investigate. With her cat-like reflexes, Blake quickly knocked out both of them with shots from her dart gun.

"There she is!" A voice rang out. _Oh, no._ She'd gotten careless, and had been spotted. Blake quickly ran for cover as gunfire rang out through the night. Hiding behind a nearby truck, she risked a glance back. The last guard, a buff canine Faunus, was looking around frantically, his hand on the trigger of his rifle. _Not good. His panic's heightened his senses. It'll be harder to take him out by surprise._

Only one other way. Blake took out her cell phone and put it to her ear. "Caster, I need a distraction," she whispered. "Yes, Master. Coming right up," a female voice responded coolly.

The guard heard a gunshot from behind him. Blake's voice rang out. "Catch me if you can."

"What was that?" He turned around abruptly, seeing a dark-haired girl wearing a pretty black bow darting away into the trees. "There you are!" growled, firing at what he assumed was his target.

 _Now._ Blake peeked out from her cover and fired a sleeping round into the guard's neck. The dog Faunus crumpled to the ground.

Having dealt with the guards, Blake ran over to the campsite and rummaged through the supplies laying there. Finally, she drew out a roll of papers. "Finally, I've found it," she muttered, removing the rubber band holding them together. She quickly began reading through them.

"You got what you were looking for?" A young woman jumped down beside her. She had smooth olive skin, pale-green hair that was tied in small pigtails near the ends, and wore a revealing white-and-green top and shorts. Her name was Emerald, but all that mattered to Blake was that she was the Caster-class Servant, and a master of conjuring illusions, like the false Blake the guard had seen.

"I did," Blake nodded, smiling for the first time in days. "Thanks for your help, Caster. This should tell me everything I need to know about their plans-for the next few months, at least."

"Them…you mean these White Fang people, right?"

Blake nodded again gravely. "Yes. The Order of the White Fang. To put it simply, some of us Faunus got fed up with being oppressed by the humans all the time, so we put together an organization to fight it. Unfortunately, once they'd begun their crusade of freedom…I suppose they forgot where to stop. They're little better than the 'tyrants' they claim to fight against now."

"How poetic," Caster said dryly. "But Master, you said 'we', so I'm guessing you were part of them once?"

Blake smiled wearily. "I guess I'm not very good at hiding secrets, huh? Yes…I was there back when they were still a peaceful rights activist group. And I was there to see them elect the leader who would push them into becoming what they are now. My…best friend, no less. Now, I've decided to fight against them-against HIM-and fight for our freedom the way we SHOULD."

Caster still looked skeptical. "I guess I can see what you're up to…then why not go in for the offensive and crush them? With a Servant by your side, it won't be that hard. That IS why you summoned me, isn't it?"

"No and yes. I summoned a Servant from that tome I stole so I could fight the White Fang head-on, but since I ended up with a Caster, the weakest of the seven, that's no longer an option. You have your other uses, but outright combat isn't one of them."

"Wow. You definitely don't mince your words," Caster grumbled.

"It's called the truth." Blake said simply.

Caster shrugged. "Well, I don't mind it, honestly. Sneaking around and stealing things is kind of my thing, too. Maybe that's why you summoned me?"

"Maybe," Blake murmured, reading through the papers. "It looks like their next target is-"

A faint moaning from nearby caught her ear. Turning, she saw that one of the guards was regaining consciousness.

"Hmph. It looks like the sleeping drugs weren't as effective as I thought," Blake muttered. "Come on. Let's get out of here. We can plan our next move back at the hideout."

"You know…you wouldn't have this problem if you just silenced them permanently," Caster pointed out.

Blake shook her head immediately. "No. That's their way of doing things. It isn't mine." Sadly, she remembered how someone else had once said similar words to her.

 _Victory will not come through negotiation. It will not come through a peaceful means. Only by force. Only by silencing them completely and utterly will we solve this problem._

It had been his way of justifying the things they did. And it had been at that moment when she'd realized that person had been beyond saving. That all she could do for him was to protect the ideals of the person he was in days long past…

Caster smiled enigmatically. "If you insist…Master. Well then, let's go."

* * *

"Are you certain about this, Adam?" The lieutenant asked nervously as they walked down the hallway of the White Fang's headquarters.

"Do not question your superior," Adam Taurus, leader of the White Fang, smiled coldly. The bull Faunus' crimson mask, flaming red hair, and rose-patterned black suit made him stand out among his uniformed underlings. "I have already made my decision, Banesaw. Our plan will proceed as I say."

They reached the end of the hall, and entered into a small, dark room, where two White Fang grunts guarded a young man handcuffed and shackled to the wall. He looked about eighteen years old, with ash-gray hair, a similarly-coloured combat outfit, and tight black boots.

The young man looked up. "Oh, look who it is," he grinned. "Bringing me breakfast in bed?"

Lieutenant Banesaw slapped him across the jaw. "Watch your mouth, insect. You speak to the leader of the new Faunus Empire, and you wi-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll obey you and listen to your stupid lectures, got it," he sighed, rolling his eyes. "Geez, you guys love being melodramatic, huh? 'Faunus Empire'? Really?"

" _Silence,"_ Adam hissed, spitting in the man's face. "I hope you at least understand my peons are not comfortable around humans such as yourself, regardless of whether you came from 'another world' or not. I had to ensure your presence would not breed unnecessary hostility within my ranks. I confined you for your own good, boy."

"Yeah, well, I'm really grateful," the man said sarcastically. "So have you decided that I'm not gonna 'breed hostility' or whatever yet? Can I go free?"

"I have decided that, but I still need one more thing from you," Adam agreed, smiling. "I summoned you, as my Servant, to help me obtain the Holy Grail. All you must do is prove yourself worthy of me."

The grunts hastily removed the man's shackles and handcuffs. Adam nodded to Banesaw. "You will be his opponent, lieutenant. Don't disappoint me."

"Of course, sir." Banesaw drew his chainsaw, which began to whirr ominously.

"A guy with a chainsaw, huh?" The man noted, stretching out his arms. "That seems a bit unfair, doesn't it?"

Adam chuckled. "If you're as good as you're supposed to be, it won't matter."

"Oh, I didn't mean me," the man smirked. "I mean unfair for HIM."

He charged at Banesaw, catching the lieutenant off guard. The man launched a flurry of swift kicks at his face, sending him stumbling a few steps back. "Grahhh!" Banesaw swung his chainsaw wildly, trying to hit his opponent. Dodging the swings, the young man grabbed the lieutenant's hand and casually twisted it, causing him to drop the chainsaw, screaming in pain.

"Too easy." The man swung a powerful kick that knocked Banesaw into the floor head-first. Before he could recover, his opponent pressed his boot to the back of his head. A loud _bang_ resonated through the room, and Banesaw lay still, a pool of blood spreading out from his head.

"Well?" The man dusted himself off like he'd just finished cleaning his room. "That enough proof for you?"

"Hmm-hmm, I'd say it is, Servant," Adam grinned, nodding approvingly at the corpse of his former lieutenant. "Gun greaves, eh? They're quite a rarity here in Remnant, though I'd assume they're more common in the Remnant you come from. Now then, I just have one question for you."

"Ask away, pal."

"This 'Holy Grail'…is it true that it can grant my wish? Any wish I want?"

"Well, you only get one wish, so the whole point is to make it count," the man shrugged. "And yeah, the wish can be anything-within reason, obviously."

Adam nodded slowly. "Excellent. Even if I wished for the extinction of an entire species…?"

The man smiled knowingly. "If that's what you want, sure. Gotta say, though, even as far as wishes go, that's a pretty crazy idea. Man, you really hate us puny humans, don't you?"

Adam did not dignify that comment with a response. He simply held out his hand. "In that case, I will rely on your skills to achieve that wish. Welcome to the Order of the White Fang...lieutenant."

"Name's Mercury," the man corrected him. "Mercury Black."

* * *

The legions of White Fang grunts were outside the compound, discussing the previous night's incident. That traitor, comrade Blake Belladonna, had attacked one of their smaller bases and made off with some of their plans. Ever since her defection, she'd been a constant thorn in her side, but they all knew that it was only a matter of time before Adam ended her meddling for good.

"Brothers of the White Fang!" Adam announced, stepping out of the headquarters with Mercury. All the grunts immediately turned and saluted their leader. "I am pleased to introduce you all to our newest comrade," he said, gesturing to his new lieutenant.

Confused discussions broke out within the crowd. "Where'd HE come from?" "Where's Lieutenant Banesaw?" "Why is a HUMAN working with us?" among others.

Adam raised his hand, immediately silencing all arguments. "I understand your trepidation, but let me assure you all, this human is not our enemy," he shouted. "He is our ultimate weapon…the Assassin of our eternal adversary. Indeed, we have finally found the key to your victory-to send the humans, the scum of this land, back into the primal caves from whence they came! With his aid, we shall finally step out of the darkness and bring about a glorious new age for Faunus alone!"

There was silence for a few seconds, but soon, the grunts began cheering and pumping their fists into the air. "If Adam says so, then we'll follow!" they yelled. "It's time to bring the war to those assholes! Let's give them a taste of all the suffering they've put us through!"

Mercury, the Assassin-class Servant, clapped his hands together slowly, still wearing a calm smile. "Well, well, you sure have a way with words, don't you? At any rate, I think this is the beginning of a…interesting partnership, Mr. Adam."

Adam ignored him. He had turned his thoughts to _her_. To that girl.

The girl who had given him his will to live, and to fight for what he believed in.

The girl who had smiled and told him she would follow him to the end.

The girl who had planted that seed of hope in his heart, only to tear it out by the roots and leave him writhing in pain.

The girl who would soon suffer every single pain Adam could possibly imagine, as punishment for her betrayal. If she had chosen to side with their enemies, then she would suffer all the consequences for it.

 _But when mankind's twilight arrives, I will keep you alive, my darling,_ he'd decided. _If you wish to take them as your ally, I shall make you watch them die, one by one, knowing that every single drop of their filthy blood is on your wretched hands. And only then, after you have lost everything you hold dear, will I send your treacherous soul down into the blackest hell where it belongs._

 _I will make you burn, Blake. And if the whole world must burn with you….I could ask for nothing better._

* * *

 **Edgelord levels at 9000%**


	5. Chapter 5: Archer

**Chapter 5: Archer**

"Hey, Pyrrha!"

"Good morning, Pyrrha!"

"Umm, Pyrrha, do you know the answer to question 4 on the homework?"

Pyrrha sighed internally, but flashed a winning smile at the classmates who were swarming her at the cafeteria table. The star student of Beacon returned her admirers' greeting and, using the proper body language and eye contact, explained to the confused student the concepts of resistance and resistivity laws in an electromagnetic circuit with such eloquence that the student left the table certain he would pass the afternoon test with flying colours. Soon afterwards, all the other students waved their friendly goodbyes at Pyrrha before going back to their lunches, leaving her sitting alone.

Pyrrha, though appreciating the peace and quiet, felt a tinge of sadness as she continued to devour her Caesar salad. It was funny that for all her popularity and the admiration piled upon her by the entire school faculty, she had very few actual friends.

Certainly, there were many other women at Beacon who enjoyed the same degree of fame as young Pyrrha Nikos. Excelling at every subject, perfect grades across the board, and beautiful…she wasn't the only one who fit those categories, but while those other talented girls were perpetually surrounded by friends and chatting happily, Pyrrha seemed to have achieved such a high degree of awe and respect among the student populace that she was regarded as something totally above them; no one seemed to believe they were worthy of her presence.

And in a certain way, they were right. Pyrrha was different from the other students at Beacon, not just in terms of skill and talent, but knowledge. Knowledge granted to her by her lineage. Not that anyone knew, of course. Even if it wasn't to be kept secret from the public at any cost, if anyone knew of her involvement in something like _that,_ it would just drive everyone even further away from her.

And so, the rest of the day passed. There was a test on electrostatics in the last period. Pyrrha had to focus a little more than usual today, as her mind was preoccupied with other matters, but she was still confident that she'd gotten perfect. As the final bell of the day rung, Pyrrha packed up her bag and left for home.

"Hey! Redhead!" Cardin called out to her as she walked down the hallway. "Lookin' sexy as always, baby! Wanna go out to the movies with me tonight? All my other babes are taken!"

Pyrrha felt an instinctive rush of annoyance; she found it very abhorrent how the school bully could be the most insufferable, insensitive delinquent most of the time, yet became the supreme kiss-ass of the entire continent when around the popular and well-loved students. It was really quite pathetic. "I'm sorry, but I'm busy," she said, forcing a smile at Cardin. "You know, Cardin, I'm certain you wouldn't have to lie about your romantic life all the time if you didn't spend every waking moment picking on other students."

"Urk…" Cardin stammered. "Y-yeah, uh, well, I mean, I-I'll consider it…" Before his tortoise-powered brain could register a rebuttal, Pyrrha had already walked out of his sight. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she'd dodged that particular metaphorical bullet.

As she walked out of the school building into the sunny afternoon, she noticed her classmate Jaune standing by the road. She walked over to him. "Hello!" she greeted him with a wave.

"Oh, uh, hey Pyrrha!" Jaune grinned at her with his signature awkwardness. "Uh, how was the test today? Not too easy for you?"

Pyrrha was rather fond of Jaune. Unlike everyone else, he didn't treat her like some sort of unattainable symbol of perfection-to him, she was just another engineering student. With him, she could have normal conversations. She'd even defended him once or twice from one of Cardin's idiotic tirades. Out of all of Beacon Academy, he was the closest thing to a friend that she had.

"I think you overestimate me," Pyrrha smiled. "It was certainly harder than I expected, though. I always tend to mess up on the essay question."

Jaune gave a slight chuckle. "Oh, please. Knowing you, you probably aced it like usual. I completely bombed the multiple choice section, that's for sure. I honestly don't know how I haven't been kicked out yet, aha."

"Don't put yourself down like that. For the next test, I can help you study if you want," she suggested.

Jaune smiled. "Thanks, but I think I'm alright. Anyway, I've, uh, got someone to talk to, so I better get home now. See you on Monday, Pyrrha!" With that, he walked down the street towards his home.

Pyrrha frowned slightly as she watched him go. He seemed a bit different than normal-on one hand, he was just as, if not more nervous than usual, but at the same time he talked a lot more confidently than he had just a few days ago. Pyrrha shrugged it off. _I guess despite what he says he feels pretty good about the test._

She drove home by taxi. On the radio, popular news anchor Lisa Lavender reported on the mysterious murders of several Faunus in the Vale district. The victims were all reportedly former members of the terrorist organization known as the White Fang. A string of bank robberies had also plagued the region around the same time. _So much chaos in the world today,_ Pyrrha thought grimly. _But that's why I'm here-to make it better._

That was her dream…and tonight was the first step to making it a reality.

Pyrrha reached her destination. Her house was a large, comfortable affair, though nothing extravagant. It was a handsome mahogany structure with a beautiful flower garden and pretty ornate windows. The interior had a large, spiraling staircase, a spacious basement, and a fine helping of four bathrooms and three bedrooms. Giving the driver a generous tip, Pyrrha got out and entered her home. Leaving her belongings on the couch, she went directly down to the basement.

Turning on the lights, she saw the large red sigil painted in Dust on the floor. Against the wall stood six bookshelves holding over three hundred books, all of which Pyrrha had read at least five times. A veritable treasure trove of vials and flasks were scattered around the room, filled with Dust of many different colours.

She took a deep breath. The moment she'd waited for her entire life was here. In front of her lay the key to her destiny. To the Holy Grail War.

The secret conflict that was waged in Remnant every sixty years…in which seven Masters, each accompanied by a Servant, a warrior hailing from a different world, wielding incredible power and weaponry, fought to the death to determine the champion of the Holy Grail-an artifact capable of granting any wish.

Pyrrha's grandfather had participated in the last Holy Grail War, but had perished. Even with such a tragedy, the Nikos family had chosen to stick to tradition-one day, they would achieve victory, and become renowned among the League of Huntsmen-a secret organization that studied Dust in order to fight similarly as Servants, and combat threats during the years in between Wars. And Pyrrha was their next hope. Right now, her parents were in Mistral, praying for her victory.

She'd read every single book on the Holy Grail War she could possibly find. She'd learned all she could about the seven summonable Servants. She'd studied and trained as much as she possibly could and finally, the time had come. Pyrrha held out her hand and recited the ancient text, just as she'd memorized. As she spoke the final verse, "Now arise, and Serve!" an enormous flame erupted in the centre of the sigil. Calmly, swallowing her fear, Pyrrha stared resolutely into the inferno, waiting for the light to clear.

A tall, raven-haired woman stood atop the summons symbol. She had beautiful amber eyes, and a fancy scarlet-red dress that gave the impression of being living flames. In her hand was clasped an archer's bow that was black as obsidian.

She turned her mesmerizing gaze to Pyrrha. "Mmmm, so I've been called for at last," she murmured in a low, sultry voice. "Fascinating…I never imagined _you'd_ be the one to summon me."

Pyrrha met the woman's gaze head-on. She could tell this Servant was immensely powerful; to ensure she'd see her worthy as a Master, Pyrrha would have to make a good first impression. "You are the Archer-class Servant, correct?" she asked calmly and commandingly. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Pyrrha Nikos, and I am your Master. Like you, I wish to obtain the Holy Grail, and if you follow my every command, I promise you it will be ours."

Archer chuckled. Despite herself, the laugh sent shivers down Pyrrha's spine. "Well said. You may be the Pyrrha of another world, but I see you are as confident and composed as always, Miss Nikos. That pleases me very much."

She gave a slight bow. "My name is Cinder," Archer purred. "I look forward to working with you…to the very end."

* * *

The old man smiled as he glanced upon the seven bright rays of light that now reflected themselves in the pool of stars. Once again, his role and identity have no relevance to our story at the moment, but for brevity's sake, henceforth he shall be known as 'the Overseer'.

 _The warriors have finally gathered,_ he mused to himself. He had to admit, this most recent Holy Grail War had attracted quite the fascinating ensemble. Fourteen individuals, each with their own hopes, dreams and histories, ready to fight for the sake of seeing their dreams become reality.

The Overseer looked forward to seeing what trials and tribulations awaited these promising men and women. Who would emerge victorious? Who would crumble to dust beneath the unrelenting opposition? The worlds were far more interesting to observe for the fact that despite one's best, most honest efforts, not everyone could be a winner.

Certainly, he could simply raise a finger and immediately bring an end to the conflict if he wished, but as so many beings with such power had come to realize, it was far more fulfilling to simply sit back and watch the events unfold. And the Overseer felt confident that this was one show no man, god, or anyone in-between would dare miss out on.

The Holy Grail War had begun.

* * *

 **Now that I've got the introductions out of the way, I probably won't be updating this for a while. I've got both school and my other fic, Stark, to worry about and I really just wanted to get Fate/RWBY started while the idea was still fresh in my head.**

 **So yeah, if you want to see more of this before at least the end of June, I'd say don't get your hopes up. Don't worry, I WILL be continuing this, just not anytime soon.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6: Alliance

**The wait is over! It's finally back! Please enjoy and leave a review!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Alliance**

It had begun to rain. Large wet droplets fell from the night sky onto Jaune's head. He looked up into the clouds. _Looks like a thunderstorm's coming,_ he thought anxiously. As a child, he'd always been afraid of thunder, and of the dark. Whenever there was a storm at night he'd crawl under his bed and cry himself to sleep. His sisters had made fun of him to no end for it. Well, soon he'd have no reason to fear anything ever again.

"What are you doing, just standing there? Hurry up!" His Servant's voice interrupted his brooding. Jaune turned to her, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, Weiss," he said.

"I thought I told you to call me _Saber!_ " the girl snapped at him. Jaune didn't really understand why she was so determined to avoid him using her real name. If that was the case she might as well have not told him to begin with, let alone her whole life story.

 _Weiss Schnee._ In another world, she would've been born into a wealthy aristocratic family, blessed with every privilege she could have ever wanted. Yet she had grown up bitter, insecure and lonely, with her father's authority looming over her like a dark shadow her whole life. Training herself to use a rapier, Weiss had longed to become a Huntress-a sworn protector of the people-one day, and prove her independence.

It sounded like something out of a fairy tale. Jaune remembered how his younger self had always lamented that life couldn't be like those stories. In fairy tales, everyone won. The good and the just, no matter what hardships they faced, always got their happy endings. No matter what…

Saber was right in his face now, with a scowl that didn't do her pretty face any favours. "Do you always just stand around and stare blankly into the sky? Come _on_!" She pulled his arm with surprising force, almost knocking him over.

"Ow, ow, okay!" Jaune grumbled, pulling away from her. "Where are we going, anyway? You didn't say anything."

"It's…" Saber faltered for a moment. Angrily, she beat herself over the head several times, muttering, "try and remember, remember, you're a Schnee, you need to know everything…"

"…You don't know either, do you?"

"I-I do! Really!" she spluttered desperately. "I don't know why, but I just have this feeling in my head…like it's leading me somewhere. I _know_ where it is, I just…I…I can't remember for some reason!" She stamped the wet ground in frustration, getting specks of mud all over her white dress.

Jaune frowned. Weiss-or Saber-seemed to be perfectly genuine, at least. _I guess it's a Servant thing…maybe they're just…magically guided to…somewhere?_ He honestly wasn't sure. It wasn't like he knew what he was supposed to be doing now either.

Likely too late, Jaune reflected on the fact that he knew relatively little about the Holy Grail War itself. Seven masters, seven servants, and the last pair standing would have any one wish granted. It seemed a single concept at the time. _But…now what?_ He glanced at his hand, where a red symbol had now manifested-the mark of a Master. He had his Servant now, but how was he supposed to track down the other contestants? Was there some trick that he hadn't come across? Were his enemies on their way to him right now? Jaune glumly decided that re-reading _The Hunger Games_ five times hadn't really prepared him in any way for this.

Saber had calmed down now. "I guess if we keep moving it might come to me," she said miserably, as raindrops fell onto her head, soaking her beautiful hair. "I-I…I think we need to go north for fifty metres, and then…" Her eyes widened. "Wait…do you hear something?"

"Huh?" Sure enough, Jaune could hear a faint rumbling sound coming from somewhere behind them. It sounded like the engine of a motorcycle. _Who the heck is riding a motorcycle in this area this late at night, and in this weather?_ Saber drew her rapier. "Get behind me!" she hissed.

The motorcycle, a garishly yellow affair with bright flame patterns, came bursting onto the scene. "YEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAWWWWW!" The rider yelled excitedly as she leapt off her vehicle. Jaune frantically dodged to the left as the motorcycle flew past him, barely avoiding getting his head lopped off. _Who is this crazy chick?!_

"Hrahhh!" The crazy chick met Saber's sword with a punch from her right arm, which Jaune realized was covered in a bright yellow gauntlet. "Hey, Weiss! Small worlds, huh?" she grinned. "Man, I never thought I'd see you here of all people!"

Saber scowled at her, knocking the strange girl away with a swift stab. "What? Who in the world are _you_? I think I'm right in guessing that you're the Rider-class Servant, though your fighting style is similar to a Berserker. At any rate, I've certainly never seen you before."

 _Another Servant?!_ Jaune backed away from the girl in fear. He hadn't expected that he'd have to deal with enemies this soon.

"What? Seriously?" Rider's eyes widened. She flipped her long blonde hair. "C'mon, Ice Queen, it's me, Yang! Your friend! Don't tell me _you've_ never met me here, either!"

"First off, do not call me that," Saber grumbled. "Second, I would never in a million years be friends with someone wearing such an _unseemly_ outfit." She pointed her rapier at the girl. "You seem to know my real name, though. I am the Saber-class Servant, and I intend to win the Holy Grail War. Even you know what means, hmm?"

Rider smiled wearily. "Still as cheerful as you are over there, huh? Some things never change." She readied a battle stance. "Alright. Lemme see what you can do, Weiss."

" _Saber."_ With that, the girls began their duel.

Saber and Rider were very evenly matched despite their fighting styles being different. Every time Saber struck at her opponent with graceful swings from her rapier, Rider blocked them with her gauntlets. Stretching out her arms, small shotgun barrels protruded from the gauntlets, firing short-range pellet rounds. Saber summoned a glowing white glyph from her sword's end, causing the bullets to bounce off harmlessly.

 _They're awesome…_ Jaune was amazed despite himself. So this was what Servants were capable of.

"Not bad, Weiss!" Rider grinned, reloading her shotguns. "Time to get serious, then!" Letting out a furious yell, the blonde fighter engulfed herself in a wave of golden energy, as her hair began to glow and flicker like it was fire itself, and her violet eyes became red as blood. Charging at Saber, she began pummeling her glyph shield with punch after punch.

"How classless," Saber said disgustedly. Dropping her shield, she raised her sword upward, and a large spike of ice shot up from the ground, launching Rider into the sky. Before she could react, Saber sent herself flying upward with a speed glyph, striking her opponent in the chest several times before forcefully propelling her back to earth with a downward lunge.

"Ow, ow…" Rider groaned.

"Well, that was hardly a challenge. I guess not all Servants can be truly great," Saber smirked. She raised her sword, ready to deliver the final blow.

"Waaaaaaaaiiiiiittt!" A high-pitched voice rang out through the dark. There was a loud gunshot that barely missed Saber's head. "What?" she gasped. She pointed her rapier in the direction of the shot.

 _Wait a minute…that voice sounds familiar,_ Jaune thought, as he came to a realization. "…Ruby?" he called out.

"Jaune?" Ruby Rose walked into view. "What are you doing here?" She was carrying a large red… _thing_ over her shoulder, something Jaune could only assume was the unholy offspring of a scythe and an AK-47. He had no idea how she could carry that.

"That's my line. How did you get a Servant? Did you know about the Holy Grail War all along? And what are you _carrying?_ " Jaune asked her, still in shock.

"Umm…that's a long story," Ruby said sheepishly, glancing around nervously. Jaune could tell she was shivering in fear, and he couldn't really blame her.

"You know this girl?" Saber asked, blade still to Rider's throat. "…Yeah. She's a friend of mine," Jaune nodded. "And…if that blonde's her Servant, I think you probably shouldn't kill her."

"Hmph. As you wish, Master." Saber pulled Rider to her feet.

Rider grinned at Jaune. "Heeey, so you're in this world too, huh? You at least remember me?" Jaune shook his head nervously. "Eh. Guess I should've expected that," she sighed.

"Sooo…" Ruby fidgeted with her monster scythe. "Are we not gonna kill each other?"

Saber put her rapier away, a dissatisfied look on her face. "Sadly, no. Against my better judgement, Master seems to prefer the four of us form an alliance. I suppose working together could have its advantages."

"Teamwork it is!" Rider laughed, then flinched, scratching her neck. "Ow. Felt like a bee sting…well, whatever. Let's be on our way!"

"On our way?" Jaune asked. "Where?"

"Uh, the same place you guys were going?" Rider held out her arm, and her motorcycle materialized next to her, good as new. "All Servants should've gotten its location planted in their minds once they landed in this world. Wouldn't surprise me if some pairs are also making their way there."

"…What? But I only know the general direction, not the exact location," Saber snapped angrily. "Where are we going?"

"To the house of the person who holds the Holy Grail," said Yang. "To Ozpin."

* * *

From atop a nearby hill, Blake put away her dart pistol and took out her tablet. On the screen, a bright yellow dot was moving farther and farther away. _Got you._

"Well, that worked, I guess," Caster murmured from beside her, brushing rainwater off her skin. "You sure you don't want me to interfere?"

"Tracking them will be enough for now," Blake replied. "With the GPS chip I planted, we'll be able to follow them almost anywhere. Right now, I assume they're headed to the chapel."

"And so are we, I assume?" Caster asked.

The cat Faunus nodded solemnly. "Yes…but from a distance. As long as there's a chance that Adam's there, I need to stay out of sight. We'll observe what happens there, but I don't want to get directly involved. Don't do anything without my order, Emerald. We will stick to the shadows."

"Hmph, well we're certainly good at THAT, now aren't we?" Emerald Sustrai laughed bitterly. "You sure this will work, though?"

"Don't worry," Blake smiled. "They'll never see it coming."


	7. Chapter 7: Contact

**Chapter 7: Contact**

"We're here," Rider announced.

Saber scowled at her. "I _know_ we're here! I'm not blind, you know!"

The four of them stood in front of the abandoned chapel. Jaune had heard rumours about this mysterious building standing in the middle of nowhere, that it was haunted by ghosts or demons or some other superstition. He certainly hadn't had any idea that the place was occupied.

"Brr. This place gives me the creeps," Ruby shivered, holding her scythe to her chest tightly. "Are we really going inside? What if there are monsters?"

"Only one way to find out," Rider said cheerfully, forcefully pushing the old wooden doors, causing them to open with a loud _creak._ Despite everyone's nervous protests, she walked right into the chapel, yelling "Heellllloooo…anyone home?"

"So you've come." A man's voice responded from the darkness. A tall, skinny old man with silvery-gray hair walked into view, his cane going _thump, thump_ against the floor in a steady rhythm. He had a serene yet weary smile on his face, and there was an aura of mystery around him that Jaune couldn't quite explain.

"Hello, Professor Ozpin," Rider grinned, relaxing her shoulders. "Though, I guess, you probably don't know who I a-"

Ozpin smiled enigmatically. "Fear not, Yang Xiao Long. I remember you quite well-all of you, in fact. It is good to see you here." He turned his piercing gaze to Jaune and Ruby. "Miss Rose…and Mister Arc. I presume you are the Masters, so I would like to speak to the two of you specifically. Miss Schnee, Miss Xiao Long, you may wait in the corner over there."

The two girls immediately did as the old man said. Even Saber didn't protest like Jaune thought she would, simply walking over to a nearby bench with Rider without a word. _This guy has some serious presence,_ he thought, _if he order Weiss around without setting her off._

"Now then, both of you," Ozpin continued, addressing Jaune and Ruby. "I don't know how you became involved in the Holy Grail War, whether it was by decision or by accident. That being said, I am fully prepared to answer any questions you may have."

Jaune opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. _I had so many questions, but now I suddenly can't think of anything to say._ Ruby spoke in his place. "So, um…this 'Holy Grail' thing…what is it? Does it really…does it really grant any wish?"

Ozpin smiled. "Indeed it does…any one desire of a Master-Servant pair. When all but one of the Masters remains in the game, the Holy Grail shall appear here for the victor to claim."

"U-umm…" Ruby bit her lip feverishly. "Do we really have to, uh, kill people to win this 'Grail' thingy? These other contestants, they'll try to kill us too, right?"

Ozpin waited for a moment, seemingly thinking over what to say, before answering. "Technically not. Masters and Servants have a symbiotic relationship, of sorts. The life energy of a Master is what sustains a Servant's existence in this world. And the Servant, in return, keeps their Master safe from harm. If one is killed, the other is effectively rendered harmless…under most circumstances. But I'd advise you to be careful, nonetheless.

"Alternatively…" the old man leaned in closer, and Jaune felt chills running down his back. "As the observer of the Holy Grail War, I can allow you to forfeit your Command Seals and thus your status as a Master. Then, you will no longer be at risk of having the other Masters and Servants hunting you down."

Jaune shook his head violently. "No," he spluttered. "I can't do that. This war is my best chance-the FIRST chance I've ever had to prove myself-to become stronger! I can't be a coward and run away from my chance to win-even if it puts me in danger!"

"…I see. Yes, I thought you might say that." Ozpin nodded, his eyes filled with a strange emotion. For a second, Jaune thought it resembled…pity. He turned to Ruby. "And you, Miss Rose?"

Ruby sighed, fidgeting with her scythe. "I mean, I didn't really know what I was getting into when I read that letter from my uncle. This whole war thing is kinda scary, really. Still…" she smiled at Rider over in the corner. "Yang…she says I'm her sister in another world. And I…want her to stick around. To know more about her, and where she comes from. And hey…this Grail thing sounds really cool, I definitely want to win it." She flashed a bold grin. "So…I'm staying in, too."

Ozpin smiled, giving an approving nod. "Well said, Miss Rose."

As they spoke, Jaune turned his head to where the Servants were standing, listening in on their conversation. "So Weiss, what's your story, hmm?" Rider asked, leaning on the bench with her legs folded. "In my world, you're part of my team at Beacon, y'know? Everyone there calls you the 'Ice Queen', pretty fitting huh?"

Saber scowled. "Beacon Academy? Why would I ever go there? That school is filled with lowborns, amateurs and cheats! I was going to go to Atlas Academy, but then I ended up in this foolishness of a war, with a scraggy fool as a Master!" She flashed an irritated glare at Jaune, who returned her look with a weary smile.

"Huh…so in your world, you never went to Beacon? Hard to imagine that, I think you fit right in with us lowborns, Ice Queen," Rider grinned.

"What did you just say?!"

"Is there anything else you would like to know?" Ozpin's voice brought Jaune back to attention. "Ah, well…" _C'mon, think of something, anything…_ "My parents always wanted to keep the secret of the Grail from me," he began slowly. "My family's been connected to the Holy Grail War for many generations…why would they try to keep this from me?" _To keep me safe,_ Jaune thought, but that answer didn't feel satisfying to him. Or perhaps the idea that his parents had so little faith in his ability to survive wounded his pride greatly.

Ozpin gave him an infuriatingly calm smile. "Some things, Mister Arc, are better kept as a secret…for now. Especially when, if I am not mistaken, you have more pressing concerns at the moment."

"Uhh…what do you…" Ruby began, before being cut off by a loud _thump_ at the door. Everyone went dead quiet, and turned to look. After a moment of silence, there was another, louder _thump._

"…That sounds bad," Ruby said nervously. "Hey uh, Mister Ozpin, how did you know there were…uh?" She looked behind her, but Ozpin was nowhere to be found. "W-where did he go?"

Rider smiled wearily. "I dunno about the disappearing thing, but he sure as hell is every bit as cryptic as the Professor Ozpin I know. So," she said, bumping her gauntlets together. "What do you say we get out there and give our visitors a nice welcome, eh?"

"You can just leave everything to _me,_ my reluctant ally," Saber said silkily, as she fidgeted with the Dust canisters on her rapier. The two Servants walked up to the chapel door. "You two, get behind," Saber muttered to Jaune and Ruby. "And don't bother helping me, you'll just get in the way."

There was about a minute of silence in the abandoned building, save for the continuous _thumps_ against the great door, getting progressively louder. "Okay…now!" Rider swung her fist at the door, smashing it open, before charging outside, glancing around her in anticipation. Saber, Jaune and Ruby followed suit. The four of them looked around in confusion. There was no one in sight.

"Hmmm. That's disappointing," Rider sighed, relaxing her arms. "Guess whoever it was got bored of waiting for us, or-"

Saber's body tensed. "Look out!" she hissed, pointing her rapier upward. A large white shield glyph manifested, just in time to block the three balls of silver energy that were barrelling straight towards them. "Wh-wh-what's happening?" Jaune yelled, almost falling over in surprise. Ruby grabbed her scythe, looking around aimlessly with fear in her eyes.

"Hey, now…look who it is." A young man's voice came from the darkness. As the dust from the attack settled, he casually strutted into view, a mischievous smile on his boyish face. "Four on one, huh? Aww, you shouldn't have. No need to go easy on me."

 _A Servant,_ Jaune thought immediately.

"I know you," Rider muttered, raising her arms in a battle stance. "You're…a student from Haven Academy…and you were on a visit to Beacon…your name's Mercury Black, right?"

"Assassin," Mercury Black corrected her. "That's what they call me here, anyway. And hey, it kinda fits." Casually, Assassin stretched out his arms, and let out a bored yawn. "And you all…eh, honestly, I don't remember. I've definitely _met_ some of you, but I guess you didn't leave any impression. 'Course, we're not going to be acquainted for long in _this_ world, either." He broke out into a sprint, heading straight toward them.

 _He's fast!_ Jaune froze up, completely unable to move. Saber summoned another shield glyph, blocking Assassin's kick. The impact left a noticeable crack in the barrier. "What…" she gasped.

"Hrahhh!" Assassin swung another kick, shattering the shield and meeting Saber's sword edge. Quickly, he leapt onto the tip of the sword and kicked her in the face. Rider fired several shots from her shotgun gauntlets, but Assassin simply deflected them with his legs. "C'mon, that's all you got?" he taunted.

"Grrrr…" Rider gritted her teeth, clearly angered by the insult. She ran at Assassin, her hair glowing with golden energy, swinging powerful punches at him while Saber attempted to stab him with her sword. Assassin leapt from side to side with startling agility, parrying their attacks with his kicks.

 _He's better than both of them,_ Jaune realized, horrified. He'd thought Weiss and Yang were unbelievably strong, but this new Servant was outperforming them like they were nothing. He remembered reading in a tome that the Assassin-class Servants were supposed to be among the weakest. Clearly, this one wasn't very fond of following tradition.

Assassin leapt onto one of Rider's gauntlets. A loud _bang_ rang out from his gun-boot, twisting her arm sideways as she cried out in pain. Assassin grinned as the impact from the shot launched him upward, before stretching his right leg forward in preparation for a powerful kick. Saber desperately prepared to summon another glyph. _She's not going to make it on time,_ Jaune thought, despairing. He wanted to help, but what could he do?

"Hey, what's that?" Ruby suddenly asked, pointing somewhere above her. Jaune looked up just in time to see a bright red fireball slam into Assassin. The young man's eyes widened in surprise before crashing to the ground, arms flailing. A woman dressed in red landed gracefully in front of Saber and Rider, her hands glowing with fire. "H-hey…what're _you_ doing here…" Assassin muttered angrily.

"Ah…" Saber looked taken aback at the new arrival, as she quickly dusted off her dress. "Erm, I'm not sure who you are, but thank you for hel-"

The woman cut her off with a large wave of fire that blasted Saber, Rider and their Masters several feet back. Jaune grunted in pain as his back slammed into the ground. "No need for thanks," she purred, her amber eyes glowing gold. "I'm afraid you still have other problems to deal with tonight."

* * *

 _Four Servants and two Masters_ , Blake observed from her perch. She had a feeling the battle was going to get more fearsome as the night went on. _It looks like the blonde and the girl in red are working together. But there are two Masters missing…_ she looked around. _Are they also hiding around here, watching?_

"Master. Look about…I'd say seventy degrees to your right." Caster's voice rang out from her earpiece. Blake looked, and sure enough, there was a man there, holding a sniper rifle and wearing a familiar outfit.

 _White Fang._ That didn't necessarily mean Adam was with them, but it raised the possibility. Assuming that one of the two other Servants down by the chapel belonged to her former ally that still left one Master unaccounted for. Blake looked around into the trees, using her Faunus eyesight to analyze her surroundings.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a head of red hair run past in the distance, and a chill of fear ran down her spine. Looking closer, though, she saw that it wasn't Adam, but a young girl. She ran deeper into the forest and was soon out of sight. _Could that be the other Master?_ Blake wondered. It seemed likely.

The bullet flew past her, barely missing her shoulder, embedding itself in the tree behind her. Blake froze, glancing at it in shock. Static ran through her earpiece, and she heard a familiar voice. "That was a warning shot, darling," Adam said softly. "Don't worry, I don't plan to kill you yet. But stay still like a dear, won't you? Once the other Servants have been dealt with, I promise I'll come back and take _good_ care of you." His voice cut off, and there was nothing but static left.

 _Shit…shit!_ Blake turned and ran into the forest, looking behind her as she went. Finally stopping to hide behind an old oak tree, she pulled out her backup earpiece and whispered to her Servant. "He's here. He's got some grunts with him…I don't know how many. And there's another Master, a red-headed girl, somewhere around here. Incapacitate them if you can, but try not to reveal yourself."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Caster replied.

Everything went quiet, aside from the sounds of the battle raging below her. Blake took out her pistol and loaded it slowly. She knelt down, feeling her heart pound against her chest, and glanced around nervously, waiting for a chance to strike.


	8. Chapter 8: Battle Royale

**Chapter 8: Battle Royale**

Saber and Rider stood back to back, defending themselves against the onslaught from their opponents. Assassin and the fiery Servant may have been fighting each other as well, but that was a small mercy when their relentlessly powerful attacks put everyone in the surrounding area in danger. Saber blocked Assassin's kick with her rapier. "It's too dangerous here!" she called to Jaune and Ruby. "Run somewhere safe, we can take them!"

"B-but..." Ruby started.

"Don't worry, sis!" Rider yelled, dodging a large pillar of flames that flew her way. "This is nothing! We'll see you soon, 'kay?"

Ruby looked around at the carnage. While she hated to leave Yang behind, she knew that running now was the best option. "…Okay," she said, nodding.

"Come on, let's go!" Jaune tapped her on the shoulder, and the two of them ran as fast as they could into the forest. Nervously, Ruby glanced behind her, watching the four Servants battle it out. _Please make it out alright,_ she thought.

A bright green flash flew past her head. "Huh?" she gasped, looking in the direction it went. She heard a voice cry out-a man's voice. Ruby and Jaune ran towards the sound, and soon came upon a Faunus man in a strange uniform lying on the ground motionless. "Is he…" Jaune muttered.

Ruby saw the green bullet embedded in his head. Blood was seeping out of the wound. "He's d-dead," she stammered. _A sniper!_ Wielding Crescent Rose, she glanced around feverishly, afraid that any moment another bullet would fly her way-and this time she'd be the target.

Breathily heavily, Jaune knelt down and examined the body. "He's a member of the White Fang…" he realized. "What's a terrorist doing here?" Another shot rang out from somewhere above them. "Whatever the case, we're definitely not the only ones here."

"Yang did say there would be other Masters coming tonight," said Ruby, remembering what her sister had told them. "Those two Servants who showed up probably belong to them, right?"

Jaune glanced wordlessly at the White Fang grunt's corpse, his face white as a sheet. It was clear to Ruby that he'd never seen a dead person before. She felt largely the same way-she could feel her dinner rising out of her stomach from the sight. Her friend pushed away the man's gun, which was still clenched in his hands, and picked up the longsword he had attached to his belt.

"Yeah…I think so," Jaune muttered, glancing at his new weapon. "We should probably get going a-" His eyes narrowed, looking at something behind Ruby. "Hey, what's that?"

Ruby looked behind her. She could see something moving through the trees some distance away. _A person._ While she couldn't discern much of their features, the red glow of the Command Seals was clearly visible on their right hand, even from there. "It's…another Master?" she guessed.

"Probably." Jaune nodded, uncertainty flashing in his eyes for a moment before he said, "I have an idea. Let's sneak up behind them and…and take them out. If we catch them off guard…"

"Huh? Aren't we supposed to get out of here?" protested Ruby.

Jaune shook his head violently. "No. I'm here to _win,_ dammit." There was still a hint of uncertainty in his voice, however. Quietly, he bent over and walked slowly, step-by-step, in the direction of the Master. Reluctantly, Ruby followed after him. "Are you gonna kill them?" she blurted out without thinking, and Jaune did not respond.

When they got to the area where they'd seen the individual, they turned the corner only to find them gone. "What the...?" Jaune muttered, looking around in confusion. Ruby heard a rustling sound in the trees above, and looked up. "Jaune, look out!" she yelled.

A young girl with flaming red hair leapt down from the trees, wielding a long sword. Caught off-guard, Jaune stepped backward and parried her strike with his own sword. "Crap! What are y-" His eyes widened in surprise. His eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, wait, _Pyrrha?!"_ Jaune gasped.

"…Jaune!" The girl leapt back in surprise. She didn't relax her shoulders, however. "Why are _you_ here?" Now that she got a closer look, Ruby saw that the girl had bright green eyes and was wearing a strange set of Greek armour that looked really pretty.

"Th-that's not the first time I've heard that question today," Jaune gave a short, nervous laugh. "So, you're a Master too, Pyrrha? Aha…that's…actually not that surprising, now that I think about it. You always were the type of person to know everything about anything."

The redhead-Pyrrha-smiled, though she had a somber look in her eyes. "I see…I didn't think I'd ever meet you like this, Jaune. I'm…" she turned her gaze to Ruby. "And…you're…I think I've seen you around town before?"

Ruby introduced herself to Pyrrha. "I've been his friend for, uh, about a year now. I've got a Servant, too, I guess." She grinned, forgetting about the danger for just a moment. "I met my sister from another dimension, and she's really cool, an-"

"H-h-hey, wait!" said Jaune anxiously, waving his arms at her in a panic. "She's still our-our enemy, remember? Don't tell her anything about our Servants, okay?"

"But…" Ruby was confused. "She's your friend too, right? We can bring her onto our team, can't we? Three heads are better than two and all that?" It made perfect sense to her, and Pyrrha seemed rather nice. Surely more allies were always better.

To her dismay, however, Pyrrha pointed her sword at the two of them. "I'm sorry," she murmured, more to herself than to them. "But I _have_ to win the Holy Grail War. I…have to do it myself. I don't want to ally myself with others only to cut them down later."

"I…" Ruby found that she could not reply to that. There could only be one winner, Ozpin had made that clear. One Master, one Servant. If they formed an alliance and survived to the end, then they'd have to kill one another. That was…too horrible to think about. _And what about Jaune? I might end up fighting him too. He'd never hurt me…right?_

Pyrrha prepared to charge. Nervously, Ruby readied Crescent Rose. _She looks tough,_ she thought. _Can I really fight her?_ Thankfully, she wouldn't have to find out.

"Pyrrha! Look out!" yelled Jaune, diving at her. "W-what?" The redhead's eyes widened in surprise as he pushed her several feet away, landing flat on her back in the dirt. A nanosecond later, a loud _bang_ rang out into the night, and Jaune slumped over.

" _Jaune!"_ Ruby screamed, running over to him without thinking. It didn't take her long to see the green bullet embedded into the boy's lower shoulder. _The same type from before._ She could still hear her friend's breathing, however, which granted her a sigh of relief.

"A sniper. Another Servant, I'd assume." Pyrrha walked over to her and gingerly examined Jaune's wound. "He's not particularly hurt, but I estimate he'll be out for the rest of the night. It would be best to get him to a safe place soon." She had completely dropped any hostility she might have displayed a few moments ago.

"Are you…letting us go?" asked Ruby hopefully.

"I suppose I am," Pyrrha smiled wearily. "He's my friend, like you stated…and he _did_ save me when my carelessly should've gotten me badly hurt, or worse." She raised her hand, and her Command Seals began to glow like fire. "Archer. Return to me, now."

There was a flash of fire, and the red woman materialized next to Pyrrha. "Ah," gasped Ruby instinctively, flinching backwards. Archer looked at her with her deep amber eyes, which were somehow both warm and cold as ice at the same time. Ruby shivered; there was something about this Servant she decidedly disliked.

"Ruby Rose…" Archer murmured softly. "I thought I might see you here…getting into trouble was always something you could never help doing." Her eyes narrowed, and for a moment Ruby could swear that her pupils became fire itself.

Pyrrha frowned at her Servant. "You…know her too, Cinder? In your world, I mean."

"Mmm, 'know' her? That's not entirely accurate. We aren't particularly acquainted…but for brevity's sake, yes, I most certainly know who she is." Archer smiled. "I was hoping to settle things quickly with our friends down there, but it seems that will have to wait. Shall we be off, Master?"

"Yes," said Pyrrha, nodding. Archer snapped her fingers, and a ring of flames surrounded the Master-Servant pair. The redheaded Master turned back uneasily at Ruby, and said quietly: "I won't be so generous the next time we meet. I hope you'll be prepared to face us…if it comes to that." The flames surrounded them, and when they cleared the two of them had vanished.

 _Well…that was something._ Ruby glanced over the edge of the hill, down at where her sister and Saber were still engaged in combat against Assassin. _They'll be alright,_ she reassured herself again.

She grabbed Jaune's unconscious form and, panting and heaving, tried to lift him up. The boy was surprisingly heavy considering how skinny he looked. _If he'd died, at least I wouldn't have to carry him,_ thought Ruby darkly.

* * *

 _Looks like one of them retreated,_ Blake noted from her hiding spot. The fire-wielding Servant had randomly teleported away from the battleground-presumably their Master had called them back for some reason. _One less thing to worry about, I guess._

That still left three Servants to take care of. _With Caster that makes four. And the one who just retreated, that's five. No sign of the other two…maybe they didn't want to risk fighting everyone at once._ That didn't particularly concern her. What mattered was that she took care of what she was supposed to do.

She looked through the scope of her rifle and spotted a White Fang mook about ten feet from her. Quietly, she fired a stun dart into his neck, knocking him out. Looking around, she saw several others lying motionless on the ground, blood trickling from bullet wounds. _Dammit. I told Caster not to kill…tch. No use worrying over that now._

Where the hell was Adam? Blake darted from tree to tree, glancing out from her cover occasionally, but she had found no trace of him. She'd hoped not to run into her old friend so early into the game, but there were still potential benefits to confronting him.

She couldn't fight him. Blake knew better than anyone what Adam Taurus was capable of, and she had no intention of facing him head-on as she was now. No, instead she'd take down his organization- _their_ organization, once-bit by bit. Slowly and quietly…that was how Blake did things.

She could see the battle still raging below. All three Servants were extraordinarily powerful…it made Blake wonder how exactly she was supposed to win against any of them, especially with how comparatively weak Caster was.

Suddenly, her cat ears twitched, picking up a sound from far away. Blake whirled around, brandishing a combat dagger as it met a familiar red blade. "Looking for me, sweetheart?" asked Adam.

Panicking, Blake leapt backward, firing her pistol at him. Adam casually deflected two of her shots, though the third dart embedded itself in his shoulder. "I didn't think you'd be brave enough to show up tonight," he said calmly. Blake couldn't make out his expression from behind the mask he wore over his eyes, but his lips were twisted in a sinister, unhinged scowl. "I figured that running away was the only thing you knew how to do, dear."

Blake put her pistol away and drew her daggers. "…You thought wrong. I'm here now," she snarled. An empty statement, and she knew it, but she had no other choice. She lunged at Adam, trying to use her agility to her advantage as she attempted to land a blow. Futile, of course-Adam himself had taught her those techniques.

Effortlessly, he knocked her blades out of her hands and kicked her in the stomach. Before she could react, Blake was lying on the ground, with Adam's blade at her throat. Slowly, he ran its edge across her throat.

"Does it hurt? Good," Adam rasped. "You'll suffer a lot more before I'm done, though. I promise I won't kill you-not until you feel every bit of pain that you inflicted on me when you betrayed us. Because unlike you, Blake, I don't break my promises."

"Gh…" Petrified, Blake lay there, unable to move or cry for help-not that it would've helped. _Caster, are you paying attention?_ Emerald was a shady sort of person-the type who'd betray you and leave you for dead at a moment's notice if you weren't careful. _I could really use a bit of help right now._

Right on cue, Adam suddenly looked up. Frowning, he glanced behind him, at something that wasn't there. A green bullet whizzed by his head, surprising him. As a result, his grip on Blake loosened, and she took that opportunity to break free of his grasp. _I suppose I'll have to thank Caster_ and _reprimand her when we get back,_ she thought grudgingly. Adam was quickly recovering from his shock, and she had no time to think.

Blake did the only thing she knew how to do. She ran.

* * *

Saber swung Myrtenaster, sending a wave of ice shards flying at Assassin. The quick-footed Servant dodged out of the way and leapt at them with a dive kick, which Rider blocked.

"Hey, not half bad. Maybe you guys are worth something after all," Assassin quipped.

Rider gritted her teeth. "You bet I'm at least good enough to put you in your place, pretty boy!"

"Ohh, feisty," he laughed, doing a playful little jog on the spot. "Well, let's see if you can handle m-"

Assassin paused, his arrogant grin turning into a confused frown. He turned to look behind him, and scowled. "Ooooor maybe not. Looks I'm being called back…my Master sure is great at being a kill-joy, I'll give him credit for that." He wagged his finger condescending at the two girls. "But make no mistake, I'll be looking forward to our rematch. Till next time, ladies-ciao!"

"W-wait!" Rider yelled at him, but Assassin propelled himself upward with his gunboots and quickly leapt into the forest, out of sight. "Dammit! Next time we meet, he is SO gonna pay!"

"Calm yourself. That wretched hot-headedness of yours will be the death of us," said Saber coldly. She glanced around. "Hmph. It looks like no one else is around."

"That's what we thought last time," Rider pointed out.

Saber glared at her. "At any rate, it's best we clear out as fast as possible. Let's find our Masters; hopefully they made it out safe."

They found Ruby just outside the forest, dragging Jaune's motionless form with all her might. A cloth of her red cloak was wrapped around his shoulder. Saber ran over to her Master. "Is he alright?" she asked Ruby anxiously.

"U-uh, I think so," said Ruby hesitantly. She gave a brief explanation of what had transpired in the forest, including their encounter with Pyrrha and Archer. "Well, that's good to know," said Rider. "Know your enemy, right? Or uh, frenemy, I guess. Pyrrha's cool, I'd hate to have to fight her."

"That doesn't matter right now," said Saber briskly. "Let's go home now, everyone. We can form a plan then, and if anyone asks we'll say Master slipped on a banana peel and hurt himself."

Rider summoned her motorcycle and mounted, with Jaune slumped over her shoulders. She grimaced. "You don't think he'll get motion sick in this state, do you? Last thing I need is him vomiting all over me."

No one humoured her with an answer. "Well, it's a legitimate concern," she sighed. "I'll go on ahead. See you guys there." With that, she revved up her motorcycle and rode off into the night.


	9. Chapter 9: Catching Up

**Chapter 9: Catching Up**

"Well this sucks," said Sun, flipping through his wallet. "There goes my lunch for the rest of the month."

"Well, wish for a million dollars when we win the Holy Grail," Lancer suggested, sipping his strawberry cocktail.

Sun scowled. "You know, Nep, you say that, but we haven't done jack about this Grail War thing because you were too busy nerding around on your ass all day. We didn't even go to that chapel thing last night because you were watching TV!"

"First off, if we went, we would've gotten massacred by all the other Servants. Dunno about you, but I don't want to lose right off the bad, And second, it's not being nerdy, it's being _intellectual_!" insisted Lancer, waving his issue of _Halo: Initiation_ in his Master's face. "Seriously dude, I didn't know this world had so much cool stuff in it! Anime, Oculus games, YouTube-and there's, like, those Rooster Teeth guys-they've made Red VS Blue, Camp Camp, and…uh…what was the name of their other show again?"

"You're literally the worst," grumbled Sun.

"Yeah, people say that a lot about me."

Sun groaned, stretching his arms out lazily. "Wheeeeelp, I have NO idea what to do for the rest of the day. Time to crash at home and rethink my miserable existence." He got up in his chair and turned around only to bump into another young man, and stumbled back onto the pavement butt-first. "Ow, ow, ow!"

"Classy," chuckled Lancer.

"Sheesh. Pay attention, you stupid Faunus!" the man called back at him, walking into the sports bar.

Sun stumbled back to his feet. "You alright?" A dark-haired girl wearing a bow helped him up. "Don't let those types of people get you down-it just shows pathetic they really are." She flashed him a quick smile and walked off. Sun stared at her.

"Hey, I know her," muttered Lancer. "That's Blake, I think. She knows you in the world I came from, you're…well, you're friends over there."

Sun was quiet for a moment, then said: "Hey…I think, uh, she might be a Master."

"…What?" asked Lancer, looking taken aback.

"Uh, well, y'know," said Sun, struggling for an answer, "she's wearing gloves, see? Like she's covering up her Command Seals, right? That makes sense!"

Lancer stared at him incredulously. "Dude. You're actually serious? That's your reasoning? Because she wears gloves?"

"What, you got a better idea?" retorted Sun.

The supposed Master walked up to a table where a dark-skinned girl wearing shorts and a tank top was drinking a cup of green tea. The two began talking about something; it seemed they knew each other. Lancer snuck a glance at the second girl. "Hmm. Y'know, you might have a point after all…"

The girls looked like they were arguing, but eventually the black-haired girl simply sighed and pointed vaguely somewhere in the west direction. The other got up, and the two of them walked away.

Sun and Lancer glanced at each other. Without a word, the two boys nodded, and followed after them.

* * *

A few tables away, a man in a dark trenchcoat took a long, indulgent gulp of his whiskey. On the other side of the table, a short young woman was happily gobbling down a bowl of baked Alaska ice cream. _She's got one hell of an appetite,_ he thought.

Roman Torchwick fidgeted with his false beard with one hand and wiped his sunglasses with the other. He'd really pulled out all the stops, he had to admit. Had to, when you were a nationally wanted criminal on the run from the authorities. _Even dear old mum wouldn't recognize me in this getup,_ he thought gleefully.

He glanced at his Servant, who was still stuffing her little face. "Oi, Neo, try not to eat all that at once, you'll get a nasty brainfreeze. Trust me. Been there."

Berserker just smiled contentedly at him and made motions with her hands. "Now, come on, don't give me that crap, kid," Roman grumbled. Thankfully, he'd picked up some sign language in his many, many years terrorizing the streets of Vale. Otherwise, he wasn't sure how he'd ever deal with the little brat.

From what he could understand, this Neo girl was a traveler from another dimension, who had come to this world to participate in some absurd war of sorts. As he'd (accidentally) summoned her, she was now his Servant, and together they were supposed to work together to fight for some Holy Grail that could grant any wish.

 _Idiocy. Fairy tales to awe children._ That was what Roman had thought. But his eye couldn't deny what had happened the night she'd appeared out of nowhere, and had saved his sorry behind. Neo was not a normal girl-that was for sure. And she was useful. Whatever else Roman was, he valued useful people.

With her powers, they'd robbed several banks in the last twenty-four hours, almost breaking Roman's personal record. It wasn't as much as he'd hoped, but money was a little tight at the moment, so he appreciated anything he could get his rose-scented hands on. He casually leafed through his wallet. "Hmm-hmm, five thousand, six thousand…"

"Hey, hey, mister." The irritable voice of a young man interrupted his reverie. Carrying a large suitcase, the boy waved a business card obnoxiously in his face. "I've got a crazy good deal for you, and it's a one-time offer! This is your only chance!"

"Piss off, mate." Roman waved him away. "I'm not interested."

"Ohhh, I wouldn't be so sure about that, good sir…" the young man's voice was still jovial, but there was a sinister edge to it now. "Why not take a closer look, eh?" He shoved the business card in Roman's face.

Roman's heart nearly stopped for a moment. This was _his_ card. His picture, full name, personal information, and the name of that godforsaken toy store he worked at once were all written on it, plain as day. "Where did you…who…" he began. It had been quite some time since he'd been so lost for words.

"Oh, we have our ways. Not me, though, I'm just the messenger," the boy shrugged. He smiled at Berserker. "Hello, Neo. The two of you are inseparable no matter _where_ you are, huh?" Neo stared at him in shock, anger filling her heterochromatic eyes.

"You know her?" asked Roman angrily. "Just who are you?"

"Well, right now, I'm a Servant of the Holy Grail, carrying out my all-mighty Master's will-just like your little monster over there," the boy replied, in a voice suggesting he didn't have a very high opinion of his 'master'. "The Assassin-class Servant, to be precise. Name's Mercury Black."

 _Assassin. How subtle. Well, at least the name gets the message across._ So another one of these "Servant" people had found him. Were they here to kill him? Roman wasn't sure how he was supposed to get out of this situation unscathed. He bloody well couldn't take out his pistol and shoot the damned boy, not in public anyway.

He might have to if it came to that, however. Roman did not want to die like this. When he thought of his own death, he always imagined himself as a ripe old man, lying on a warm silk king-sized bed in his mansion, surrounded by money and whores. He slowly reached into his pocket.

"I wouldn't do that," cautioned Assassin. "Besides, Roman, you still haven't listened to everything I've got to say."

"…Alright. Carry on," said Roman cautiously.

The boy smiled. "I'm sure you've heard of the White Fang, right? Preachy activist-slash-terrorist group, all over the news these days. Well it just so happens their leader-my Master, FYI-is willing to make you-yes, _you_ -an incredible offer. Specifically, you're supposed to steal something for them."

"'Something'?" That didn't seem so bad. Stealing was right up Roman Torchwick's alley. "And what would this 'something' be?"

Grinning, Assassin retrieved a roll of paper from his pocket and presented it to Roman with a flourish. _Some sort of blueprint,_ he thought, unrolling it suspiciously. After glancing at it for a few seconds, he felt like he'd just taken a frontal dive into a pool of chocolate ice cream. "What…this is impossible. Do you really expect me to pull off something like _this_?"

"Not just you, remember? You've got your Servant." The boy nodded at Berserker. "With her help, and your skills, this job should be a breeze, shouldn't it?"

Roman narrowed his eyes. "And what, may I ask, do I get out of this?" A stupid question, but it was a custom for him to know just what he was getting into.

"Not having your personal info leaked to the police. And not dying right here and now, naturally," replied Assassin. "But if you're half as stubborn as I remember, you'll need a bit more motivation. So here." He opened the briefcase he was holding.

Roman's heart skipped a beat. The briefcase was filled to the brim with money-he was fairly sure he'd never seen so much money in one place. Stacks of bills upon bills were placed in neatly organized piles, and there were even rare crystals of Dust, which were no doubt worth even more.

Still, Roman wouldn't be so easily swayed. He swallowed his excitement. "Sorry, pal, but the two of us are alright as far as money's concerned. You'll have to do better."

"Haha! You really _are_ a master bargainer!" Assassin laughed. "This whole stash'll be yours the moment you take on the offer. But trust me, there's a whoooooole lot more waiting for you once you've completed the job. And seriously, the full reward will make this look like lunch money in comparison."

Wordlessly, Roman leafed through the money. Examining the bills, he could confirm that they were legitimate. These people really did know what they were doing.

He glanced at Berserker. Neo was staring at him, quiet as always, with a pleading look in her eyes, like she knew something he didn't. She motioned with her hands. Understanding what she meant, Roman sighed.

"Well, it's not like I had much of a choice to begin with," he muttered. He gave Berserker a comforting pat on the head. She was a little brat, but he couldn't help but like her, especially after she'd helped him. "Might be interesting to switch it up a little, hmm?"

Neo shook her head violently, but Roman had made his decision.

"Well…?" asked Assassin.

"You've got yourself a deal, Servant-you and your White Fang. I'll play your little game." _At least I won't be bored,_ Roman thought.

Mercury Black smiled. "Alright, then. It's an alliance."

* * *

 **Sorry about the shorter chapter this time. I've been pretty busy lately, and I figured this would be good place to end the chapter anyway, just filling in the blanks for the characters who've been conspicuously missing. Next chapter will be longer, so enjoy for now!**


	10. Chapter 10: Negotiations

**Chapter 10: Negotiations**

Jaune was dreaming.

His dream was different from the one he'd had before. There was no snow, no barren world filled with death. In this dream, he didn't exist. He was but an invisible observer, watching the whims of the gods unfold.

There was a dark room, lit only by the shines of white light flowing through stainless glass windows. In the centre of the room, a girl stood, rigid and unwavering, dressed all in white. _Weiss,_ Jaune realized. He tried to reach out to her, but of course he couldn't-he wasn't actually there.

Something appeared from the shadows. It was a grand knight, bending down on one knee, clad in massive silver armor, wielding a mighty blade. Silently, he knight stood up to face Weiss, who held its gaze fearlessly, despite it towering several heads above her. _Run away,_ Jaune wanted to shout.

Suddenly, he found himself inside Weiss' mind. He couldn't control her body, but he felt her every action, and could her every thought.

He felt Weiss dodge to the left with a somersault, as the knight swung his blade at her, shaking the ground where it landed. With graceful agility, Weiss manoeuvered around her enemy, striking at its armor with her rapier, trying to find a chink. The knight, unfazed, swung another blow at her. Barely deflecting the strike in time, Weiss was knocked back several feet, and recovered just in time to avoid its next attack. _He is strong,_ she thought. _But I'm faster._

She leapt into the air, dodging the knight's swing, but the monstrosity threw a powerful punch at her with its free hand. Caught off guard, Weiss stumbled and crashed onto the cold floor. Jaune, in her body, felt a sharp rush of pain run through him.

 _No…_ Jaune could feel the girl's anguish, her panic. _I can't lose here…I'll never get another chance! I_ have _to win!_

Grimacing, Weiss got up, feeling the blood from her face where it had been scraped from hitting the floor. It was quite a cut.

 _But it won't be enough to slow me down,_ she thought. _I'll prove it to him. If I can pass this test, Father will let me go to Beacon. I can finally be free…I'll finally be 'Weiss', and more than just another descendant of the Schnee heritage!_

Filled with determination, she adjusted the revolver chamber on her rapier. _Myrtenaster…This will be the first time I use you to your full potential. Do_ not _let me down._

Taking a deep breath, Weiss unleashed the blade's full energy, blocking the knight's strike as fire Dust enveloped Myrtenaster in a bright red aura. When the colossus swung the blade again, she leapt onto the sword and sliced it out of its hands. Barehanded, the knight desperately tried to strike Weiss down, but it was futile-the tables had been completely turned. Releasing strands of ice Dust, she bound the knight midair using glyphs, before leaping into the air for a coup-de-grace.

There was a satisfying _crunch_ as she sliced through the colossus' shell, before landing gracefully onto the floor. Her opponent fell, lifeless, behind her, before it disintegrated into nothingness. The trial was over.

 _I won._ Weiss couldn't help but smile, just a bit. Jaune could feel her overwhelming happiness and relief. It was clear that this was something that meant a lot to her.

Weiss touched the area around her right eye, wincing in pain. It was still bleeding, and there was a deep scar that likely wouldn't fade for quite some time. It didn't seem particularly damaging, but it was severe enough that her Aura couldn't repair it. She supposed that for now, she'd wear it as a token of pride.

She looked over at the window. Someone was watching her…what were they thinking? It didn't matter. After what she'd just done, her Father had run out of excuses. She was going to Beacon Academy, no matter what. She was going to become a Huntress.

For the first time in years, Weiss Schnee was happy.

* * *

"Jaune? Are you awake?" The girl's voice called out to him.

"U-u-ughh…" groaned Jaune as his eyes fluttered open. _Where am I…?_ He remembered being in a forest, Ruby was there, some strange people tried to kill them, they ran into Pyrrha for some reason, and then…? He tried to get up, only to feel a rush of dull pain in his shoulder. "Gah!" he grunted.

"At least you're back in the land of the living." His Servant breathed a sigh of relief, peering at him from close up. Jaune saw her scar over her right eye, and instinctively felt a small ache over his own eye. _That dream...that's how she got that scar?_ "You were out for a whole day. You should feel lucky that the bullet didn't go in too deep, otherwise you might have slept for much longer," she said, frowning.

 _Bullet…? Whole day…?_ At once, everything came back to him. "Ah…right, I saved Pyrrha from some sniper, and…" He winced, moving his arm around gingerly. It hurt but wasn't unbearable. "What happened afterward?" he asked, looking around the room. He was back in his simple apartment room, and the first rays of sunlight were shining in through the window.

"Your friend managed to drag you to safety. We joined you after those other two Servants retreated, and we made our way back home. I managed to get the bullet out of your arm, so there's little chance of infection," Saber explained. "I suppose I should have expected you to get yourself hurt stupidly like that, Master. Do you feel alright?"

Jaune got up slowly. "Y-yeah…yeah. I'll be fine. I think I'll make myself some breakfast, and then we can decide what to do ne-"

Suddenly, the door was flung open, and Ruby waltzed in, with her Servant right behind her. "Hellooooo," she said cheerfully, holding out a grocery bag. "Jaune, you're awake! Here, I got you something to eat-hope you like sesame buns."

Graciously, Jaune accepted-he was quite hungry, he realized. Over a meal of buns and chocolate chip cookies, the four of them discussed what they were going to do from now on.

"That Mercury guy is so gonna pay," muttered Rider angrily, combing her long golden hair. "I don't remember him being that strong over in my world."

Saber held out her hand commandingly, as she chewed on her sesame bun. "Wash we shush-" She gulped, swallowing her food. "Ahem. What we should be focusing on is that we've identified another one of the Masters." She turned to Jaune. "Ruby says she's your friend, right?"

Jaune nodded hesitantly. "Yeah…she is. Pyrrha Nikos. She's also my classmate at Beacon. I don't want to fight her if I can avoid it, but…she seems really determined to win this war."

"Don't let your personal feelings get in the way," warned Saber. "If she's refused to an alliance, then there doesn't seem to be anything you can do."

Ruby raised her hand. "Uhh, I got a suggestion."

"What is it?" Jaune asked.

'My uncle Qrow," Ruby began. She explained how her involvement in the Holy Grail War had begun when her uncle had sent her that mysterious parchment that she'd used to summon Rider. "It…seems like he knows what the Holy Grail is. He said he'd explain everything to me when he came to visit."

Saber raised an eyebrow. "That's certainly strange. Why exactly would this 'Qrow' have access to science-shattering secrets like that? I'd like to ask him some questions if we can find this man."

"…I don't really know," said Ruby. "And well, he likes to go from place to place without telling anyone, so I don't know if we'll be able to track him down at all."

"How wonderful," sighed Saber. "Your uncle certainly sounds troublesome."

Rider just laughed. "That sounds like _my_ Uncle Qrow, that's for sure. Well if he's coming to visit in a week, I'll sure be looking forward to meeting him."

"But until he decides to show up, we have to deal with the current situation," Saber interjected. "Since we've identified one of our enemies, we have something to go off of. Today is a school day, right? Jaune, you and I should confront Pyrrha at school-after hours, preferably. Unless, of course, your injury is too severe."

Jaune shook his head, though he still felt pain in his arm. "I'm fine. I'll just tell everyone I tripped and scraped myself. Trust me, they'd believe that from me," he said with a tinge of self-deprecation.

"What about us?" asked Ruby.

"You and Rider will wait near the schoolgrounds and intervene, in the very unlikely event that I am unable to handle Pyrrha and Archer by myself," replied Saber coolly. "Any objections?"

Ruby shook her head silently. "Sounds good to me," said Rider.

"Good." Saber smiled at her successful pitch. "What about you, Jaune?"

Jaune thought over it for a moment. He didn't want to have to hurt Pyrrha, for many reasons. But she _was_ his enemy now. _If I can talk her down…get her to back off…then it won't have to come to blows. But can I really do something like that? I've never been good with talking to people…_

"I'm in," he said to Saber.

* * *

The day went as normal, much to his surprise. Even more surprising was how natural going to school felt after the madness of the last couple of days. He still fell asleep in almost every class, he still shrugged off Cardin's embarrassing attempts to insult him, and he still ate beef brisket for lunch in the cafeteria, sitting alone. The isolation didn't bother him much, though-it was nice to be able to have his thoughts to himself.

In the third period, he shared a class with Pyrrha. When she made eye contact with him, she seemed uncomfortable for a moment, but immediately regained composure. "Hello Jaune," she said to him, smiling. "Did you remember to do your physics homework over the weekend?"

Obviously, Jaune had not even touched his work-not that he usually did it anyway. "Yeah, it wasn't that hard, actually," he replied, trying not to show how tense he was. The bell rang, and class began.

Jaune did his best to take in what Professor Goodwitch was saying, but it just as difficult as ever. _Maybe I'll wish for a sharper mind once I win the Holy Grail,_ he thought dryly. As luck would have it, Pyrrha was sitting right next to him. He tried his best not to look in her direction-just being in her presence was making him uncomfortable-for several reasons.

He remembered walking to the academy with Ruby following close behind. "Beacon looks so pretty even from here," said his friend cheerfully as she pointed to the structure in the distance. "If I win the Grail I'm totally wishing for a scholarship."

 _Please reconsider,_ thought Jaune. "It's not all it's made up to be…a-and really, I'm not just saying that because I suck at the courses," he added defensively. "At least the people are decent…for the most part."

"Like Pyrrha, right? Are you two particularly close?" asked Ruby.

"Not particularly-we are friends, though…I guess," Jaune said uncertainly. After an awkward silence, he blurted out: "I, uh, kind of like her…you know, a-affectionately. Not that I have a chance, aha. She's, y'know, way out of my league."

Ruby laughed. "Yeah…I thought so. And you decided that winning the Holy Grail War would somehow make you confident enough to ask her out, right?"

"H-how'd you know?" Jaune spluttered.

"Hehe, call it a best friend's instinct," said Ruby mischievously. "Just try not to kill her before your first date, ok?"

Jaune would have preferred some more immediately helpful advice. Right now, his heart felt like it was going to pop out of his chest. It didn't help when, while he was agonizing over the centripetal acceleration of a motorcycle traversing a sharp curve, Pyrrha leaned over to his desk and explained, "You're supposed to calculate the square root of velocity over time."

Silently, Jaune nodded. He stared at her, trying to read her expression, but to no avail. As she went back to her own business, he noticed she'd placed a small roll of paper on his desk. _What's this?_

For one stupid moment, he thought it was one of those stock 'I love you' notes that girls passed to their classmates in those awful romance movies Jaune's sisters watched (and made him watch, tragically). But of course it wasn't like that. It read: _I'll meet you in the history classroom after school. Come if you wish to settle things, but I understand if you choose not to._

Jaune's heart sank. _This can only go so well._

After that, the school day seemed to go by in a blur. After the last period was over and the bell had rung, Jaune stealthily made his way over to the history classroom on the second floor. Thankfully, no one was around by the time he arrived.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door. "Pyrrha...?" he called out.

Perhaps it was fate, or perhaps it was just pure dumb luck, but for whatever reason Jaune suddenly lost balance and tripped, falling over onto the floor just as the arrow flew over his head. "Wh-wha!" he stammered in shock, jumping to his feet.

"So, you've come," said Pyrrha. She was still wearing her uniform, but was wielding her sword and shield and maintaining a battle stance. The fiery woman stood next to her, smiling serenely.

"Wait, wait! I came to talk to you, not to fight!" Jaune protested. "And what the hell?" he added irritably. "Didn't I save your life that other night? This is how you repay me!?"

The woman chuckled. "Life is unfair, Jaune Arc. A man once gave a snake warmth when it should have died in the cold, yet the snake bit him anyway. You should never just expect gratitude for your deeds."

"That's enough, Archer." Pyrrha glanced coldly at Jaune. "I'm sorry, but you know the rules of the war. The least I can do is make it quick."

Jaune had heard enough. He ran, as fast as he could.

He heard an explosion of fire ring out from where he had been moments ago. He belatedly realized brining some kind of weapon to defend himself would have helped. _Oh well,_ he thought. _So much for negotiations._ He raised his hand into the air.

"Weiss! Come to me!" he yelled. His Command Seals began to glow, and in a flash, Saber materialized in front of him. Before he could say a word, she nodded, her face serious. Quickly, she drew Myrtenaster just as Archer came flying down the hallway, firing arrow after fiery arrow.

"Go!" Saber yelled, deflecting the projectiles with inhuman precision. Nodding, Jaune fled towards the nearest exit. Bursting out of the school building, breathless, he looked around him. Thankfully the schoolgrounds were empty. _Ruby should be nearby,_ he thought. He was just considering calling her to ask for help when the door behind him exploded.

 _Oh you've got to be kidding me._ He saw Saber leaping out from the wreckage, parrying with Archer, who was now armed with two obsidian-black daggers. Their clashing blows sent red sparks flying into the air. Archer sent out a blast of fire from her hands, sending Saber reeling back in pain. "You're strong," she spat.

"Anything will seem strong and powerful to the weak," Archer replied silkily.

Pyrrha ran out of the building, weapons drawn. "Aim for the both of them!" she called to her Servant.

Archer turned her gaze towards Jaune. "No you don't!" Saber snarled, striking at her. The two of them stood there, blades clashing and unmoving. The Servants glared at each other, waiting for the other to falter.

Jaune turned to Pyrrha. "We don't have to fight!" he insisted, trying to sound more confident than he was.

"There's no other choice…" Pyrrha muttered quietly. She sounded uncertain. "It's either fight or die."

"No it isn't!" said Jaune. _Think of something to say, anything…_ "If we can just call a truce we can-"

 _BOOM._

There was an explosion from several blocks away. Surprised, Jaune turned to look in its direction. Pyrrha and even the Servants also paused where they stood, intrigued by the source of the noise.

 _BOOOOOOOOM._

Another explosion, this one even louder than the last. And accompanying it was the scream of a familiar voice.

Terror seized Jaune's heart. _Ruby,_ he realized.


End file.
